I Have Everything
by FallenRose24
Summary: Callie realizes that Arizona's decision to go Africa only proves that they are more alike than they originally thought. Together, they navigate the challenges of a new life, thousands of miles away from home.
1. Chapter 1

They were snuggled together on the couch, enjoying the soothing serenity of silently being wrapped in each other's warmth. Arizona couldn't help but smile as she nestled closer, rubbing her cheek against Callie's chest and listening to the taller woman's breath hitch. This was perfect.

At least it _was_ perfect until a loud knock sounded from the door.

"Pizza!"

And with that, Callie was bounding off the couch, leaving her girlfriend too frazzled to react in time. Arizona wanted to protest, to throw a pillow at the stubborn Latina, but she knew it would never do any good. There stood Callie, digging through her clearly diluted wallet for the change the delivery boy was expecting. She had nothing to prove – there was no reason for her to give up her grocery money just so she could buy them a pizza Arizona could easily afford, but she did it anyway. Every time. This time, though, after a short exchange with the teenager at the door, Arizona noticed a stricken expression plague those beautiful, tanned features.

The tip. She forgot to account for the tip.

She didn't have enough.

Wordlessly, Arizona joined her girlfriend at the door and slipped a 5 dollar bill into the boy's hand with a warm smile. He left without a passing glance and Callie stood rooted in place, pizza box in one hand and her eyes trained on the now closed door.

Arizona reached out a hand, trailing her fingers up to her girlfriend's shoulder. "Calliope…"

The Latina shrugged off the touch and walked briskly toward the kitchen without a word. Behind her, Arizona sighed, hardening her gaze at the back of the stubborn woman's head.

"Calliope, you don't have to act like this. It's okay to let me pitch in now and then."

The younger surgeon wasn't hearing any of it, though. She busied herself with pulling out paper plates and rummaging through cabinets for two wine glasses, trying to drown out the sound of Arizona's plea and the internal screaming of her own misguided shame. As she wrapped her hand around the wine cork, pale fingers gently stopped her. They stood there for a moment, Callie staring at the wine bottle as if she could make it burst with her mind and Arizona patiently waiting for the woman next to her to calm down.

"I don't expect you to give up your last dime over a silly pizza, Callie." She maneuvered her fingers so she could weave them through the tanned digits still holding the wine bottle like a vice. "Having to pay for things won't change the way I feel about you."

With that, Callie turned her head so that their eyes could meet. She could see nothing but honesty staring back at her and yet, something held her back. A voice in the back of her head screamed at her not to listen, to think of all the people who had left her for not being good enough for them – if she couldn't provide for Arizona, what would make her stay?

"I need to take care of you…"

Her heart melted at the soft, shy confession that left the brunette's lips and the insecurity in her loving gaze. How did this woman standing in front of her not realize she was absolutely perfect? Wordlessly, Arizona lowered Callie's hand and unwrapped their fingers once the wine bottle was safely on the counter. Stepping forward, she held the taller woman's face in both of her palms, letting her pale digits become lost in waves of soft, thick ebony. Their eyes never strayed from one another.

"You _do_ take care of me, Calliope, in the ways that really matter. If you never have another cent to your name, I would still be here with you. If I had to choose between you being able to buy me whatever I ask for and you being the caring and loving and protective person you are… I would give up every penny of your trust fund if it meant I could keep what's in your heart forever. I lo-"

Strong arms clutching desperately at her back cut her off before those three life-changing words could fall from her lips. It took only a second for the initial shock to wear off before Arizona rubbed a soothing hand across the woman's shoulder blades as she cradled the back of her head. How many times had she held Callie while the beaten woman cried? Even the day she had introduced herself had been a moment when Callie had been wiping tears from her face. She felt as though she had already lost count, but it didn't matter. She envied this woman's ability to feel so openly and it warmed her breaking heart to know that she felt comfortable enough to fall apart in her arms time after time.

"I make enough money for the two of us." Arizona grazed her lips against the crying woman's ear as she whispered to her softly. "So let me take care of your for a while, okay? Let go of your pride and let me help you because I need to take care of you, too. We'll be okay. I can still buy us pretty things."

Callie snorted softly against the pale neck, a smile stretching across her trembling lips. She pressed herself even closer to Arizona and sighed at the warmth that spread through every nerve ending in her body. It was still so surreal, after months of dating, that just being close to this woman could make her feel safe and at home.

"You're perfect, you know that?"

Arizona smiled at the compliment and pressed a gentle kiss to Callie's temple. "Only with you."

The Latina pulled out of the loving embrace almost too quickly and she brought the palm of Arizona's hand to her lips in what seemed like a silent apology. "I need to tell you something…"

Without another word, they walked hand-in-hand to the living room and sat next to one another on the couch. Arizona kept her eyes keenly focused on Callie while the dark-haired surgeon's gaze was trained on the pale hands she held in both of hers. Minutes ticked by with only the sound of their breathing and the steady rhythm of their hearts echoing between them, but Arizona didn't push. She sat and waited and finally, after what felt like a suffocating eternity, Callie rewarded her with the sound of her voice.

"I've hated that money ever since I was old enough to understand the consequences of having it." She kept her head down, refusing to meet the blue gaze she knew was focused on her. "It ruined every friendship I had during my childhood. The true friends I could have had walked away because it just wasn't fair to them that I had so much when they had so little and so the only friends I did have were the kind that would lie to me with a smile on their face just so they could have a taste of my family's wealth. Boyfriends used me or walked away when my money emasculated them. So, by the time I was about to graduate from college, I decided enough was enough."

Callie took a deep breath and chanced a quick glance at her girlfriend, strengthened by the warm smile of encouragement that met her.

"I was supposed to get my MBA at Stanford." Arizona's eyes widened at the admission, but she kept quiet, only squeezing Callie's hand to urge her to continue. "I sent them a letter, rescinding my registration, and before they could notify my father of the partial refund he would be getting, I signed up for the Peace Corps. My parents were furious, but I was legally an adult so there was nothing they could do about it."

The Latina fell silent and when it seemed as if she was lost in the pain of those memories, Arizona tugged at her hands to draw her back. "Why did you go?"

"Hmm?" Callie turned to look at her, mildly startled curiosity in her brown eyes.

"What made you sign up for the Peace Corps?"

A wistful smile painted over the younger woman's features as she turned to gaze out of the window in front of them. "I wanted to help people. My whole life I had never wanted for anything, but I had seen people struggle and never did anything to make that better. It seemed wrong to have all of this money and not do anything with it that meant something. My father built hotels, but they were so upscale that they only served the rich and the richer and my mother just kept donating to or forming charity after charity that probably kept 90% of the donations for themselves. I wanted to give what I had to someone who needed it… because I didn't want it anymore."

"And that's when you decided to go to medical school…"

Callie smiled at the fact that her girlfriend had remembered her blabbing that little tid-bit of personal information on one of the more embarrassing nights of their pre-dating relationship. "Yeah, thankfully I had majored in biochemistry, so they let me volunteer at a clinic in Botswana. Do you know how freeing it was to live like that? To live without the luxury of things I didn't need? It felt… amazing and it opened my eyes. I couldn't live with the fact that I had so much money and there were people out there with nothing."

Arizona scooted closer to the Latina and rested her cheek on one of her hunched shoulders. "You know, most people with that kind of money don't think like that."

"I know."

Before she could say anything else, warm lips were pressed against hers and fingers were tangling in her hair. She moaned softly at the electricity sizzling through her skin and Arizona took advantage of the brief moment her lips had parted. A strong tongue darted into her mouth, tasting every inch of her, clouding every corner of her mind and quickening the beat of her heart with each determined caress. What little oxygen as left in her lungs quickly disappeared as she felt Arizona straddle her thighs and her own tanned fingers subconsciously fall to perfect hips.

They broke apart breathless and the PEDs surgeon rested their foreheads together until she felt in control enough to pull back and speak. "You have this incredible sense of responsibility." She brushed away a few stray strands of ebony hair from Callie's face. "It's one of the first things I noticed about you. You always want to help people even if you can't – it's what makes you a great doctor and an incredible partner. It's something we share. I tried giving back when I first came here, but there's only so much you can do while you're still paying off your medical school debt. Still, I get it – that need you felt to do something for those who had nothing when you had everything… I get it. You've spent a better part of your life trying to take care of everyone, so now it's your turn. Let me take care of you."

Callie just smiled up at her. "You're the only one who never cared about the money. George? He and I fought about it when he found out… being married to an heiress made him feel small. Then with Erica, I never got the chance to tell her, but I could see her eyes light up more than they should have when I would pay for everything. With you, though, it's never mattered to you. You knew I had money, even if you didn't know exactly how much, and I still had to fight you for the check. And now that I have nothing…"

Arizona brushed another soft kiss against her lips. "My feelings for you have nothing to do with money, Calliope. They're strong enough to withstand finding out that you've gone from being the prince to the pauper in one conversation. All I want is you."

* * *

She sat in the dark, watching the rain pelt against the window of their living room as it ticked by the minutes of the hours past midnight. Her mind felt blank even as it filled with memories of long ago conversations and defiant acts against wealth and poverty. The silence was suffocating as she closed her eyes against its oppressive weight while the creaking of floor boards and the dipping of the couch cushion echoed at a deafening volume between her ears.

"Calliope, it's 3 o'clock in the morning…"

"I'm being a hypocrite."

Arizona paused, trying to catch the gaze of the brown eyes that now stared straight ahead as if in a daze. She reached forward, lacing a hand with her lover's, but before she had the chance to question the strange statement, the beautiful voice she fell in love with sounded once more.

"I've been sitting here day after day judging you for wanting to leave, for wanting to drop everything and help them. I've been making you feel guilty for wanting to do the exact same thing I did." Their eyes met in an instant. "When I told you about Botswana, you said that sense of responsibility was something we both shared."

"It is."

"Well, I'm done."

"Callie-"

"I'm done keeping you from going to Africa. I'm done getting in your way and stopping you from doing something we both know is right." A shy smile spread across the Latina's features. "I'm still a little pissed at you for making this decision without me-"

"I'm so sorry, Callio-" She was silenced by a tanned finger pressed against her lips briefly.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We're doing this together. We're going to change lives together."

"You mean that?" Wide blue eyes searched for truth in the brown wells before her.

"I do."

Callie sealed her promise with the press of her lips against the soft mouth hanging slightly open in shock. She could feel Arizona smile into their kiss as pale arms wrapped around her body to draw her even closer and that familiar wave of warmth washed over her. The sensation lingered even as their lips parted moments later.

"Calliope…" The word was a whispered brush of air across their lips as they remained pressed against one another.

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember what you told me when I asked you why you joined the Peace Corps?"

"I said I wanted to give something to those who had nothing when I had everything."

Arizona simply smiled as she tightened her hold on the younger surgeon. "I have everything right in front of me."

Their lips met once more in a passionate embrace in which they both silently promised to never let go.

* * *

A/N: I'm considering making this a multi-chapter fic that will follow them to Africa... let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

She winced in pain, gritting her teeth against the burning sensation that fired down to her very bones, but she refused to pull away. Only a few more minutes and it would be over… or at least that's what she kept telling herself. Every moment she felt her resolve wane she looked to her left and soaked in the sight of the terrified blonde who had her eyes glued to the seat before her. If she didn't feel so bad for her lover, Callie would have laughed at the irony of someone so afraid of flying deciding to take a leave of absence in Malawi.

The flight brought back memories for the Latina, of a time when she had packed only the bare essentials in a duffle bag and left a life of luxury behind. As the plane had climbed higher and higher into the sky, she had felt a heavy weight of her charmed life chip away and sink into the unforgiving ocean that separated Miami from Botswana. It had taken her nearly 30 hours of flying to finally arrive in Gaborone and then another few hours on the bumpiest dessert road before she was surrounded by the dingy smell of the hut she would call home for the next two years. Though her eyes had shut in a deep slumber the moment her head and hit the barely-there pillow, she remembered feeling more alive than she had felt in the last twenty years of her life.

Unfortunately, her girlfriend was not having quite the same experience, which meant her left hand had been sacrificed as a much needed stress ball. Swallowing a sigh, she leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to a pale cheek. The small smile that etched across her girlfriend's features was a small victory and it remained on her lips until the plane finally leveled out.

"Only 7 more hours before I try to break your hand again…"

Callie snickered as she moved the arm rest between them out of the way and drew her girlfriend into her warm embrace. "If you're going to end my surgical career while we fly over the Atlantic, the least you can do is buy me a hot dog."

Arizona looked up at the taller woman, quirking her eyebrow in confusion. "A hot dog? I just threatened to break your hand and all you want for compensation is a hot dog?"

"We're flying out of New York! Of course I want a hot dog!" She pulled the blonde tighter against her chest before breathing out a slew of hushed words. "Besides, I know you would never go through with it. You love what this hand can do."

Arizona flushed a comical shade of red as she swatted at the teasing woman behind her. This was going to be a long flight.

* * *

Thirty hours later, their plane began its final decent into Lilongwe International Airport. Arizona let out a calming breath as she stuffed the book she had been reading into her carryon. This was it. She was finally here. This was exactly what she had been dreaming of the moment she submitted that grant application. Well, that wasn't entirely true…

She looked to her right, catching the sight of the beautiful face she had woken up next to for almost two years. Leaning over, she gently brought Callie's seat upright, taking care not to wake the peaceful Latina. This woman, sleeping soundly beside her, was who made this dream so different from what she had imagined. She wasn't alone in this adventure. She had a partner and with every beat of her heart, she knew she wouldn't want anyone else by her side.

The minutes ticked by in a blur as they made their way off the plane and collected their luggage. All Arizona could think about was _this is it_. She vaguely felt Callie's hand help her into a Jeep. _This is it. _Her body jostled with the car as it traversed over bumpy dirt roads toward an isolated grouping of villages. _This is it._ A hand squeezed and a whisper coated her ear.

"Come back to me."

Startled out of her trance by the sound of her lover's voice, Arizona whipped her head to the side and locked eyes with patient chocolate pools. "W-what?"

Callie smiled at her innocence. "You haven't said more than five words since we landed and I'm pretty sure you're thinking hard enough to start making _my_ head hurt. What's going on inside that beautiful brain, huh?"

The PEDs surgeon stared at her for a moment, drinking in her beautifully crafted features as all the questions that had been running through her mind came rushing back into four simple words. "What was it like?"

"Botswana?"

"Yeah."

Callie smiled, tightening her grip on the older woman's hand as she stared at their entwined digits. "It was tough at first, but mainly because I didn't really know what I was doing. I wasn't even premed in undergrad, so being thrown into a medical clinic in a third world country was pretty intimidating. I thought about asking for a transfer, but then I realized something… at least I had a science degree. That probably isn't too common, so they put me where they needed me and who was I to say I knew better?"

Arizona scooted closer in the cramped Jeep, soaking in every word that fell from the amazing Latina's lips. "How was the village?"

Their eyes locked briefly before Callie shifted her gaze to the passing dessert. "It took some getting used to – I was a city girl, remember? I had never lived anywhere other than a ridiculously huge mansion in a shamefully ritzy part of Miami and then when I moved out for college, it was into a stupidly huge apartment. Giving all that up to live in a hut for two years? Culture shock if ever there was one, but the good I could see myself doing made it worth all the adjusting I had to do."

"At least we'll be living in the hut together, right?" Arizona smiled at the embodiment of her affection.

The question hung between them as they simply stared at one another in a moment of silence, each thanking whatever God they believed in that there was a hand for them to hold in this journey.

"It's not going to be easy, Arizona." Callie's eyes remained trained on the woman before her. "Giving up everything you know and coming here alone to meld yourself into a completely new culture? It's tough. There will be days you want to do nothing more than throw down your scalpel and get back on that plane and then there will be days when you never want to leave."

"Except this time, you're not alone."

"No and neither are you."

Arizona leaned forward, resting her head lightly against the shoulder of the seasoned traveler and simply breathing in her calming scent. "I'm glad you're here with me, Callie."

The younger surgeon merely lifted a pale hand to her lips, too focused on the mop of blonde hair cascading down her shirt to notice the judging eyes of their driver in the rear-view mirror.

* * *

Two hours and miles of hot dessert later, they found themselves surrounded by a network of patchwork homes made of straw, stone, wood, leaves… it was an entire city built from the surrounding elements with a notable lack of the cold, metallic shine of an American town. Children ran to and fro, some playing what looked like a game of soccer in the distance and others helping with essential chores under the guidance of men and women. Arizona and Callie suddenly felt severely out of place.

The surgeons were startled out of their revere by the loud thud of their luggage being thrown at their feet. Before they could thank their driver, he sneered at them, spitting at their feet and speeding the Jeep back down the dirt path. Suddenly, the world grew quite. Turning to face the village once more, it was clear that they had been noticed. For an unknown reason, the attention did not feel welcoming.

"Dr. Robbins!"

A tall woman in khaki shorts and white tank top walked briskly in their direction, her black, curly hair cut short and framing her dark skinned face. Once she stood only a foot or so from the new comers, she extended a hand with a pearly white grin sparkling across her face.

"I'm Melissa Jones with the Carter-Madison Foundation." Her smile grew even wider as Arizona shook her hand. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you! And you must be…"

Callie stepped forward to shake her hand as she was addressed. "Dr. Callie Torres."

"Great! It was such a treat to hear we would be getting two surgeons for the price of one, so-to-speak!"

"You're staying in the village?" Arizona fixed the woman with a questioning gaze.

"Oh no, I live in Lilongwe, but I will be acting as your liaison with the foundation should anything come up. So let's get you settled!"

Without another word, the woman began to head in the direction of a cluster of huts. Shrugging, Callie bent down and grabbed their bags, following the overly perky woman and her girlfriend to what would be their new home for the next three years. She wasn't shocked by the accommodations – a stone home with a wooden door, straw roof, and wooden panels acting as removable windows – this was simply a larger version of what she had been given in Botswana. Inside, the furniture was modest consisting of handmade bunk beds, a wooden table, and two wooden chairs. Bunk beds…

"I know it's not much, but one of the best ways to understand the people you will be treating is to understand their living conditions. If anything happens to make these conditions unlivable, that's when you call me."

Arizona was mesmerized, continuously looking around the small home in wonderment. It was all so different from what she was used to – it was all so wonderfully unique.

"I hope you two don't mind sharing a hut. When your Chief told me he would be paying to send another surgeon, I sort of had to scramble to put this together. Believe me, it's not every day you hear that a colleague of one of our award winner's has offered to drop their entire life to move to Africa for three years."

The blonde surgeon immediately turned around. "What? Miss Jones – "

"Melissa, please."

Arizona sighed as she walked slowly to her girlfriend's side. "Melissa, we're here together because we're partners."

The ecstatic smile on the foundation worker's face remained unshaken. "Yes, quite the surgical team, I hear! Your boss raved about the two of you."

The two surgeons shared a worried glance before Callie spoke their fear. "What exactly did Chief Webber tell you?"

"Just that you two work exceptionally well together and that he thought this would be a fine opportunity for his future Chief of Orthopedic Surgery!"

The enthusiasm of a potential job promotion was lost on the Latina as Melissa's words tore into her, syllable by syllable. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Arizona's jaw drop slightly in shock, outwardly mimicking the internal battle Callie was fighting. Richard Webber had swept their relationship under the rug, had signed a blank check so they could be together, and he hadn't bothered to tell them.

"Melissa, I think there has been a bit of a misunderstanding." Arizona slipped her hand into a familiar, tan palm. "Yes, we're colleagues, but Calliope and I are much more than that. We're –"

The coordinator stared at their clasped hands as a flood of realization hit her like a drowning wave. "You meant personally. You're partners… personally."

"Yes."

Melissa closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with the thumb and forefinger of her right hand. "No wonder your Chief didn't ask us to pay for you. That sly bastard… well, I suppose that's one way to make sure you actually get to come here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arizona's grip tightened sharply on Callie's hand.

"You're joking with me, right?" The short-haired woman threw her hands in the air when she received nothing but blank stares from the surgeons before her. "You're aware of LGBT rights in Malawi, correct? Or rather, I should say the severe _lack_ of rights. It's illegal here! Even as a tourist, you can be prosecuted and thrown out for being an "undesirable alien," but that's in the city. Lord knows what they would do to you here. We would have relocated you, Arizona. Plain and simple. This is a huge liability!"

The blonde woman scoffed. "Oh sure, relocate me where exactly? To some country where there are no hate crimes against homosexuals? Please tell me where one is and I'll move there permanently! Besides, countries that at least shy away from "lawfully murdering" same sex partners aren't usually 3rd world countries. If I wanted to sit on my butt all day in an air conditioned clinic, helping people who already have access to decent health services, I wouldn't have written that proposal!"

"Alright!" Melissa put her hands up, silencing the enraged surgeon. "Just keep your voice down and keep this on the down low. Do you understand? If anyone finds out about you two… you need to get in touch with me immediately."

Callie swallowed against the knot in her throat. She had known about the homophobia in villages like this from her time in Botswana, but back then, it hadn't directly affected her. She knew what she was getting herself into when she agreed to come with Arizona, but hearing it thrown in their face like this, being reminded that the love they shared was grounds for corporal punishment chipped away at her resolve. She had been thrown through the ringer before, had her family try to make her think what she and Arizona had was a disgrace, and it had almost paralyzed her. Could she do it again? For three years? Pretend she didn't love Arizona with every beat of her heart and every breath she took?

"We can be discrete. I hadn't met Calliope when I first wrote that grant proposal, so the laws against homosexuality weren't really of concern to me at the time. I know this complicates things, but we have no problem being professional with our patients."

"Oh I don't doubt that, Dr. Robbins. I just hope it will be enough."

Though her words had come out strong, Arizona could feel her confidence shake. Three years of hiding, of locking herself so far into the closet that she wouldn't be able to see the beautiful smile that made her heart sing. A consequence of bringing her lover with her into hostile territory… maybe she hadn't been wrong when she had considered leaving Callie behind.

* * *

**A/N:** So here is Ch. 2! I'm not exactly sure where this story is going, but I guess we'll find out together. Thanks for everyone who encouraged me to make this a multi-chapter story! Hopefully this didn't disappoint.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of children laughing, running, living was muffled by the deafening silence in their small dwelling. Four patchwork walls protected them from the deceptive "warm arms" that would welcome them to the village. Four walls kept them in their own bubble of Seattle. Four walls threatened to cave in on them without notice.

Arizona sighed, tilting her head up to gaze at the thatch roof from her place on the floor. Melissa Jones had left over an hour ago, giving them time to digest their newfound roles as secret lovers – doctors first, partners never. It had been 60 painful minutes since a word had echoed in the dead air hanging between her and Callie. 3600 seconds of silence. To her right sat her muted girlfriend; she sat in one of the wooden chairs, staring at the plank covering a poorly constructed window as if she could will it to open with her mind. She had clearly drifted off to some internal hiding place that Arizona felt she would get lost attempting to find, but still, her silence was frightening.

"Callie?"

No response – not even a touch of recognition graced those brown eyes.

"Calliope, say something, please…"

She didn't blink; she just let her lips fall open. "I can't do this."

Those four words squeezed at Arizona's heart, their barbed edges ripping into her so deeply that she could hardly breathe. "Callie, no! We'll figure something out, I pro-"

"Don't you dare!" Blazing chocolate pools were upon her, a judgmental glare marring the Latina's perfect face. "You can't promise me that this will be okay, Arizona. You just can't!"

"Callie…"

"No!" And with that, she was on her feet, pacing back and forth with unconscious mutterings of Spanish trailing behind her. "This is insane! Por tres anos, Arizona! Tres! ¿Cómo no te importa? ¿Es fácil para ti? Tu puedes simplemente olvidar lo que significa para ti? ¿Cómo se puede- (_It's three years, Arizona! Three! How do you not care? Is it easy for you? You can simply forget what I mean to you? How can you-)_"

Her words were cut short by pale hands clutching tightly at her forarms and blue eyes challenging her to continue. "I'm going to stop you right there because I might not speak Spanish, but it doesn't take a genius to guess you're probably saying a boat load of things you are thanking God right now I couldn't translate! So just shut-up and sit, Callie. We will work this out. Together."

The taller surgeon obeyed, swallowing her tongue as the truth behind her girlfriends words seeped into her mind. She couldn't bring her eyes off the floor, they remained transfixed on the uneven surface. Why was Arizona so calm? Why didn't this whole situation make her blood boil just as badly as Callie's? Had she done it again? Had she fallen for someone harder than they could ever fall for her? Not Arizona… she had said it first. She was the only one who had said it first…

"This is hurting me, too, Calliope." The words chipped away at her defenses, the warm hands on her knees knocked them down even further, but it wasn't until she saw the damage behind those blue eyes and the buried tears silently drowning them that her resolve finally faltered.

"What are we going to do?"

Arizona sighed at the defeated sound of her lover's voice. Without a second thought, she stood from her place at Callie's feet and enveloped her in a comforting embrace, pressing the younger woman's cheek against her chest.

"I don't know, sweetheart. I don't know."

* * *

They awoke huddled together on the bottom bunk, the sun creeping between the cracks in the wooden window cover rousing them from their fitful sleep. This was it. Today they put on a three-year long mask. Today they put patients before each other to an extreme that they never had before. Today they rewound the clock. Today was a day neither of them had ever wished to experience.

Without a word, they untangled themselves and danced around one another as they got ready to face the sun. A water pump in the bathroom and a tub served as their individual showers. They changed into their SGMW scrubs, only offering each other passing glances of appreciation and pained smiles. Granola bars they had packed served as breakfast in a seemingly pathetic attempt to delay their inevitable need to walk out the door. Their hands rested linked together against the wooden table, a quiet reminder of their shared affection.

Clutching the empty plastic wrapper of the bar tightly in her fist, Callie willed all the anger coursing through her veins to lock itself back inside the tiny box she had created in her mind. She would not judge these people, she would not treat them differently simply because they did not understand her. No, she came here to help them. It didn't matter what sort of misguided views they held…

At least that's what she tried to convince herself…

"Ready to go?" She stood abruptly, smiling weakly at her blonde counterpart.

Arizona stalled for a moment, simply locking eyes with the woman before her. "Calliope… it won't matter. Whatever happens out there, whatever we have to do once we step outside… it won't matter." She pushed herself out of her chair, walking with purpose until she was toe-to-toe with the Latina. "What matters to me is in my heart; it's in your heart. That out there – that prejudice, it can't ruin what we have. Do you hear me?"

Callie bit her lip, fighting against the tears that welled in her eyes.

"I will still love you not matter what happens."

Arizona bit back squeak of surprise as warm lips crashed against her own, a familiar hand tangling in her hair as it cradled that back of her head with affection. Her eyes slipped closed and she allowed herself to absorb every ounce of comfort pouring into her. This feeling, this unspoken promise of undying, unconditional love was something she would keep with her no matter they had to overcome. They had chosen this path together and as the older surgeon wrapped her arms around Callie's neck, she felt a renewed sense of confidence that they would weather this storm in one piece.

They parted only when the need for air was too much to ignore, their foreheads resting against one another as they held on to each passing second. Callie brought her hands to cup Arizona's cheeks, running her thumb across the softest skin she had ever felt.

"I will always love you," Callie whispered as her voice broke under the pain. "We can do this – it's just a harder version of what we've done every day at work."

"Yup, this is just a test and you and I? We will rock this. We're too awesome together to not get through it, right?" Arizona placed her hands over the gentle ones on her face.

"Right." Callie closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Arizona, I've never wanted to hide you. I have never wanted to lie and say we aren't together – I couldn't even do that when my family abandoned me. This… this isn't fair, but whatever we do out there, it doesn't mean I love you any less."

"I know that, sweetheart. I know."

They shared one last, gentle kiss before stepping away into a "friendly" distance. Satisfied that they would see each other through their first day, Callie opened their door and they walked out of their quiet bubble. Together, they observed the village as they passed through in search of the newly built clinic. Elders gazed at them with uncertainty, children paid them no mind, the occasional whisper of "doctor" and words they couldn't understand made them feel on display, but they made no effort to engage any of them beyond a polite smile.

In the far corner of the seemingly endless rows of huts stood a structure with a red painted cross above its door. This was their new sanctuary, a place where they could lose themselves in professionalism and forget what they had walked into. This was their new home and as their eyes caught the wide smile of a tall, dark man at the entrance, they knew that this was it.

Today was the beginning of the end.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this was so short! It's been a tiring week at work... the only reason I had time to type this is because I'm stuck in lab in the middle of a rain storm. Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying this. Your feedback is what inspires me to write!


	4. Chapter 4

They held their breath as they approached, each fighting the urge to grasp the other's hand in comfort as they were greeted by shinning white teeth against the contrast of dark skin. The man before them stood a good five inches above Callie, making Arizona feel a bit dwarfed in his presence. He wore a simple white shirt, soaked in a few places by sweat under the blazing sun, and tattered cargo shorts. His large feet rested comfortably in handmade sandals with intricate beads painting a mural of red, green, and yellow.

"Welcome to our clinic!" His booming voice captured their attention. "I am Azibo, the tribe doctor – which of you is Dr. Robbins?"

The blonde surgeon extended her hand. "That would be me! Nice to meet you and please, call me Arizona."

"Wonderful to have you with us, Arizona." He turned his chocolate eyes to Callie. "And you must be the bit of home she brought with her."

Callie couldn't help but smile at the comment – she was starting to like this guy. "You could say that. Dr. Callie Torres – pleased to meet you."

"Good, good! Well, now that we know each other let me show you around and we can discuss our plans over lunch."

"Sounds good!" Arizona waited for the man to turn around before placing her hand on Callie's arm. "Ready?"

The taller woman sighed. "Don't have much of a choice, do I?" There was a touch of pain behind her tired smile.

"Just take a deep breath – we can do this. Come on." She squeezed the woman's arm briefly before following Azibo into the makeshift clinic.

They soon found themselves surrounded by a dozen gurneys, heart monitors and stands for IV drips crammed close together. In the corners of the rooms were bookshelves, clearly handmade, that housed packages of supplies including suture kits, gauze, bandages, and other rudimentary ER necessities. A couple of other men were stocking the shelves and prepping the beds, paying them little attention as they continued to make the building presentable.

"The supplies you shipped us from Seattle arrived not too long ago." Azibo turned to lock eyes with Arizona. "We really can't thank you enough for your generosity."

The PEDs surgeon smiled, her dimples popping when she felt Callie's proud gaze turn her way. "I applied for this grant to help people, Azibo, so of course I would send you supplies! I'm glad to see you've been quick to use it!"

"Well, we haven't used any of the monitors yet – I decided to wait for you to arrive so you could ensure it is all being used properly…"

"Sure! You know, your English is remarkably good." Arizona let out a slight laugh. "I'm a little shocked by that."

"Oh, of course! I spent several years in your country when I was studying medicine in Nebraska."

"Creighton?"

"Yes, it was a fine school. Did nothing to do away with my accent, but I did become very comfortable with English. You won't find much of that in the village, I'm afraid…"

His voice fell into the background as Callie looked from corner to corner, making mental notes on things she thought were missing and soaking in the familiar comfort of Seattle Grace hospital equipment. She thought back to her time in Botswana, flashes of the medical clinic zipping through her mind as she tried to make a quick comparison. This clinic was a mere shadow of what they had built in Botswana by the end of her stay – was this really all they were going to be working with?

"Callie?"

She winced - the nickname sounded strange in Arizona's calm voice. For years, she had become used to her full name being sung from sweet lips in a melody that made her heart skip a beat. 'Callie' had become the name nearly everyone else she knew would call her, or if it did come out of her girlfriend's mouth it meant a bout of yelling was sure to be on the horizon. This voice with this name? Not something she ever wanted to get used to, but as she turned to face those piercing blue eyes, she understood. 'Calliope' was a term of endearment they would never be able to explain… and there was no way in Hell she was going to give everyone in the village the right to call her that just so Arizona could. Ew.

"Azibo?" She waited for him to turn his head in her direction. "How many villages will have access to this clinic?"

He seemed to ponder her question for a moment, as if he were mapping the locations of their secluded neighbors. "Well, our village is technically a central point for at least 5 or 6."

Callie bit back a smile at the sign of sudden comprehension filling Arizona's eyes. "Do you think the men who built this clinic would mind coming back to work?"

* * *

After spending over an hour at the clinic, meeting the builders of the shack and the volunteers setting up the equipment, they found themselves staring into bowls of mashed corn in Azibo's modest dwelling. It was only a touch larger than the home they were sharing, but the uniqueness of handmade furniture and the building materials used to construct the walls distinguished it and gave it a strange sense of individuality.

Azibo chuckled softly at the lost expressions on the women's faces. "I know the food is not much, but our hunters were not entirely successful fishing this morning, so maize is all I have to offer this afternoon."

Callie sent him a warm smile. "Trust me, this is fine. I got pretty used to this during my time in Botswana."

The tribal man's eyes widened at the mention of the foreign country. "You've traveled there?"

"I was in the Peace Corp for a couple years helping out at a medical clinic in a remote village." The pride in Callie's voice was physically broadcasted through her brilliant smile, but that expression quickly turned to one of shock when Azibo grasped her hand on the table.

"You have a very kind heart to spend so much of your time helping people. I know that is what you have both built your careers on, but to do it in a place like this and to do it more than once? That takes a certain kind of heart we rarely see."

A part of Arizona screamed out, wanting more than anything to do what Azibo was doing. Watching someone touch her girlfriend, knowing she couldn't touch her in public the way she longed to was like a slow acting poison. She wanted to hold Callie's hand, to caress the soft skin on the back of it with her thumb while her fingers gently tickled the woman's palm. She couldn't, though, and as obvious as it was that their new friend was being entirely platonic, his easy display of physical affection just reminded Arizona of what she couldn't have. She had to take her mind off it. _Speak, dammit! Just say something and stop thinking!_

"Calliope's pretty amazing." _Shit!_

The brunette stared at her in shock, silently praying that Azibo had not notice the obvious, big, huge neon sign now blatantly revealing Arizona's mistake.

"Calliope?"

Aw damn.

"It's not a name I normally go by, but Arizona tends to call me that to annoy me… especially when she thinks my ego is leaking out of my ears." _Saved!_

"I see." Azibo's gentle laughed filled the room again as he patted her hand before withdrawing his. "Well, I think I'll stick to calling you Callie so I stay on your good side. Shall we start the planning, my friends?"

Happy to change the subject, Callie asked for something to write with and draw on and quickly began sketching a blueprint of the clinic when Azibo returned with a pencil and notepad. Arizona watched in silent awe as her girlfriend recreated an aerial view of what they had toured and then began to sketch something even larger.

"What you have right now is a great start, but that's really all it is – a start." Callie kept her eyes trained on the paper as she spoke. "The room you have can easily be used to fix essentially non-life threatening conditions, but if someone comes in with something more severe, you're going to be out of luck. The best thing to do would be to expand a bit and hang a curtain to separate the common patients from anyone gushing blood or severely infected or whatever."

Arizona's smile brightened as she leaned closer to Callie to get a better look at the drawing. "She's right. A closed off area to separate patients like that would help us keep track of who needs immediate care from one of us and who the volunteers can handle until they're fully trained. What about a waiting area?"

Callie shook her head. "No, family and friends should stay outside of the clinic while we work on the patients. That worked well for us in Botswana. We need to try to keep the space as sterile as possible and we can't really do that if we start to overcrowd it with uninjured villagers."

The tribal man nodded in agreement. "Do you think we will have enough equipment to service a larger clinic?"

"If you need more, I will get Melissa to order more." Arizona tapped a finger down on the paper, brushing her hand lightly against Callie's. "This expansion, though, is necessary. If you're going to try to act as a medical center point for multiple villages, you need space and the larger the clinic is, the easier it is to separate patients."

"Then we'll begin building as soon as possible." Azibo studied the sketch for a moment. "The way you have drawn this seems as though it would work well if used the current outer walls of the clinic as a divider between the two rooms. We can keep the clinic standing, build alongside it and then cut out a joining door from this wall of the current clinic. That will at least allow us to still start seeing patients while the room is being prepared."

"I like it!" Arizona clapped her hands happily and bumped shoulders with Callie. "How does it feel to be designing your own hospital, little Miss Botswana show off?"

Callie laughed, sending the older woman a loving smile. "You're a dork, you know that?"

Azibo studied them for a moment, smiling at their light hearted banter and the ease with which the two doctors before him interacted. Their chemistry was quite remarkable and though he had been told "two colleagues" would be joining him at the clinic from Seattle, he had the slightest inkling that 'colleague' was not the appropriate word for their relationship. There was a glimmer of something more in their eyes.

"You two seem very close."

Their laughter ceased and their eyes widened as a mutual fear started to turn their blood cold. Azibo noticed the drastic change in their demeanor and pocketed away that fact for later as he attempted to soothe the tension he had caused.

"I just mean you two seem very comfortable around each other, as if you have known each other for quite some time."

Arizona let out the breath she had been holding and sent their fellow doctor a weary smile. "Yes, Callie and I have been good friends ever since I moved to Seattle."

_Say something, Callie! Come on! You can't just stay frozen while Arizona does the sweet talking. Snap out of it! _The Latina shook her head slightly. "Yeah, there's no way I would move across the world if I didn't like this girl." _Fuck! Shit! NO! Why did you say that!?_

"You are a loyal friend, indeed."

"Yup! Can't get rid of her even if I tried!" Arizona subtly pinched her girlfriend's thigh under the table - she had been too close for comfort with that slip up.

Azibo smiled, looking between the two of them with clear curiosity. "Loyalty is important. You will certainly need it in this village."

What was that supposed to mean? _Change the subject! _Callie desperately darted her eyes around the table to find something – _anything _– they could talk about that didn't involve her professing her undying love for the woman next to her like some attention deprived high school girl. _Oo! Food!_

"Azibo, just another thought." All eyes turned to her. "What typically makes up a diet here? I'm just thinking about what food we can offer patients who are in recovery."

The man nodded his head in understanding, not questioning the blatant change in subject. "Well, nsima is the most plentiful. That is the maize dish I prepared for you and it is something we will always have available. We grow large quantities of corn in our fields and there are storage sheds around the village. When our hunters are successful, we have fish that we can puree or at least cut up to ease patients back to eating hardy food. We can also make ndiwo, which is simply the maize with beans, meat, or vegetables in a tomato and onion sauce. Rice is very hard to come by, I'm afraid, so you will be eating enough corn porridge while you are here to make you truly hate the crop by the time you return home. To spice up the diet a little bit, we will have different fresh fruits and vegetables available as the seasons change and our chickens provide us with both eggs and meet."

"Chickens?" Arizona perked up at the mention of the animal.

"Yes, we keep a good number by the fields. Half are kept for their eggs and the others we use for meat. Is there a problem?"

Callie couldn't help but chuckle at the dejected pout on the blonde's face. "Don't mind her, Azibo. She has a strange thing for chickens." That earned her a sharp smack on the shoulder from her girlfriend.

"If you would rather not eat the chicken, I can offer you an alternative."

"And what would that be?"

"Ana a njuchi and bwamnoni."

"Huh?"

"Wild bee larvae and large green bush crickets."

"AH!" Arizona pushed back from the table, flailing her arms as if to fight off an imaginary swarm of bugs threatening to jump into her mouth. "I'll eat the chicken! I'll eat the chicken! Just don't let me name a hen!"

Callie joined Azido in a hardy laugh as they watched the poor blonde attempt to wipe the mental image of eating fried insects from her mind. Arizona's dramatic disgust reminded her of her own reaction to the diet in Botswana… can't really complain about food when you're in the middle of nowhere. Even after two years, though, she hadn't gotten used to the taste and was definitely not eager to put them back on the menu.

Their joyful discussion was cut short of the door behind them burst open and a child rushed to Azido's side. After a few quick sentences were exchanged, their tribal friend jumped to his feet, ushering for them to stand.

"Come, come – we have your first patient!"

* * *

**A/N:** AH! I am so sorry it took me so long to write this new chapter! Time got away from me with work, my birthday, and then I was on vacation with my family... *takes a deep breath*... now I'm back to just being swamped at work for the next two weeks before more people come to visit. Hopefully I can get a chapter or two out before then! Let me know if you're still with me! Oh and before you ask, yes I've done my homework on Malawi, but I have never been there so, everything I mention here about the customs and culture are my interpretation of my readings. Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5

Callie flopped down on the bottom bunk with a heavy sigh. It was only their first day and she was already exhausted. Their first patient had been a young boy, probably no older than 7, who had dislocated his shoulder by falling out of a tree. She had easily popped in back in place and fitted him with one of the slings from the stock in the clinic. The rest of the day was spent laying out plans with the builders and contacting Melissa about extra supplies for the expanded room. No matter how tired she was, though, she couldn't help but grin at the memory of that ridiculously simple case – something she would have made an intern handle back at Seattle Grace. His smile and the one armed hug she received made the textbook procedure seem like something worthy of a Harper Avery.

The only thing she had to complain about was keeping her hands to herself. It was a constant effort to put up a facade of pure professionalism around Arizona. Sure, they kept things on the down-low at work back in Seattle, but things were different here. They couldn't brush finger tips or lean in too closely or smile too lovingly… every little gesture they indulged in back home that kept them going throughout the day was asking for trouble. It was slowly killing her and it was only day one.

Hopefully, overseeing the construction of the clinic would give her something to channel her energy into. It would also give them some time apart during the day to ward off temptation – that had been Arizona's idea. The workers seemed nice enough, though they didn't speak a lick of English with the exception of one man who knew just a smidgen. Apparently he had picked up on some helpful phrases by spending years in his father's cab while he shuttled mainly American and English tourists around. Callie made a mental note to ask Melissa Jones for an English-Chichewa dictionary. This was going to get ridiculous fast. Azibo had been a gracious translator, though, and having at least one worker somewhat understand her would make life easier.

That was something to dwell on later. Now, she was 'home' and the slight dip in the mattress she laid on reminded her exactly why thinking about work could wait. She cracked open one eye and smiled at the beautiful sight of her favorite blonde hovering over her. A gentle hand swept the ebony hair off her forehead and lingered, tracing patterns against the side of her face. It was such a familiar gesture, such a small tribute to their affection for one another, but after an entire day of forcing themselves away from one another, it was enough to send Callie's heart racing.

"I missed you," Arizona whispered before leaning forward and brushing their lips together.

Callie moaned softly at the contact, tangling her hands in silky, blonde locks. She pulled Arizona to her causing the older surgeon to lose her balance, but her lover blindly caught her shoulder and slowly brought her down on top of her prone form. They stayed like that for a while, melded together, lips battling for dominance, hands roaming, legs entwined, and hips gently rocking in unison. Arizona twisted her lower body just a fraction, but it was enough to cause the Latina to break the kiss.

"Not yet," she gasped against pale lips. "We can't."

Arizona let out a frustrated whine. "Calliope…"

She laughed, pecking at her girlfriends lips. "I said not yet, I didn't say never. Anyone could just walk by and see what we're doing through the cracks in the door. Just… wait until the sun goes down."

The PEDs surgeon sighed, pressing her lips to Callie's in one last kiss before rolling off her and standing up. "You make me feel like I'm in high school, sneaking around in the dark so my parents don't see."

The Latina laughed as she sat up on the mattress, running a hand through her tousled hair. "Hey, I'm not the one who dragged us to a country that kills gay people."

Arizona's expression shattered.

"Oh my God, that was stupid. Arizona, I'm –"

"Don't." She turned away, biting her lip to keep the tears at bay.

Callie was behind her in a flash, hands gripping at her forearms and dragging her back against her warm chest. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. I'm an idiot when it comes to making jokes."

The blonde sighed as she leaned her head back against her girlfriend's shoulder. "I just don't want you to end up hating me for this."

She pressed her lips gently against the proffered pale skin of her neck. "I don't and I never will, Arizona. I love you now and forever."

A dimpled smile graced her face as she turned her head, pressing her lips against Callie's in a brief, fleeting moment of passion. "I love you, too. Moron."

She nuzzled her girlfriend's pale cheek, inhaling the sweet scent that lulled her to sleep every night. Even surround by hate and a judgmental society, she still felt as if she was in Heaven. None of it matter as long as this perky, happy-go-lucky woman was resting in her arms, heart beating, lungs breathing, and a dimpled smile on her face. That was the feeling she kept telling herself to hold onto.

"Come lay down with me."

Arizona shook her head. "No, I won't be able to control myself if I do that. Let's go for a walk."

The Latina grimaced. "A walk? We've been on our feet all day and you want to go out in the heat and walk?"

She laughed at her overly dramatic lover, turning in her arms so she could silence her ramble with a chaste kiss. "There's a pretty secluded lake on the outskirts of the village. We could go over there and just enjoy the quiet for a bit until it's safe to be alone where there's a bed."

"Deal!" Callie quickly let the blonde go and stripped off her scrub top.

"That's not what I meant!"

"Dweeb," The Latina couldn't help but laugh at the woman's bright red face. "If we're going for a walk, I'm not doing it in scrubs. I want shorts and flip-flops."

"And no top?" The smug smirk on older surgeon's face was priceless.

"Really, Arizona?"

"Hey, a girl can dream."

They quickly changed into cooler clothes, shedding the stress of their first day with each article of clothing they removed. That was one of the wonderful things about having a uniform at work – once it came off they could ignore whatever stressful surgeries or heartbreaking patients that had had to deal with during the day. Putting their scrubs away was like shutting the door, closing up shop, and putting away the key until the sun came up again. They both had a feeling they would need that more than ever for the next three years.

In a matter of minutes, they were outside walking in silence toward the body of water Arizona had mentioned before. It wasn't a grand lake by any means, but it was better than nothing. They sat in the dirt with their feet cooling in the shallow waters, the lake being only deep enough to come up to their ankles at the edge, and just enjoyed the quiet reprieve from their day at the clinic. They could see children playing in the distance, women weaving baskets, hanging clothes, grinding corn, and men fashioning spears. The village carried on under their watchful gaze, uninterrupted by the scrutiny of the two outsiders they had invited.

In that moment, they forgot the hardship that lay before them. They let the burden of hiding their feelings for one another drop to the bottom of the water as they relished the calm that overtook them simply by being next to one another. They had been together for two years and yet it still took Arizona's breath away to realize just how connected she felt to the other woman. No one else had found the place in her heart that Callie had so gracefully claimed as her own. Anyone else she would have quickly left behind. Anyone else would have never been invited to travel the world with her. Anyone else would have been left in the airport as she walked away… but that's because no one else had ever loved her enough to say yes, to give up everything just so they could stay together and she could have her dream.

"I thought about going without you."

Callie looked at her, a silent curiosity clouding her eyes as she waited for an explanation.

Arizona lazily kicked her feet in the water, too nervous to meet the woman's gaze. "When I thought about everything you were giving up, I just felt so guilty. You were leaving a job you loved, giving away maybe your one shot at taking Chang's spot as the head of your department. You were leaving your friends behind, going across the world where you would hardly have any opportunity to talk to Mark or Bailey or Cristina for three years. You were giving up your family… again… and you were shelving your research and – "

"Hey," Callie's stern voice caught the attention of wide blue eyes. "I chose to come with you. I chose to give up all of that because none of it matters as much as you do. My job will still be there when I get back – you heard Melissa, the Chief still plans to promote me and having this on my resume doesn't hurt. _Our_ friends aren't going anywhere and my family? They get it. It's not like I haven't run away to Africa before. You didn't make me do this, Arizona. I _wanted_ to do it. Maybe I didn't at first and I was scared about what this whole experience would mean, but I told you, I couldn't hold you back from this."

The blonde sighed, her eyes remaining locked with Callie's. "You could have said no to coming with me."

"No, I couldn't have." The Latina smiled brightly. "I let you go once – I'm not dumb enough to do that again."

Arizona dropped her voice to a barely heard whisper. "I really want to kiss you right now."

"I know…" Callie quickly surveyed their surroundings, finding not a single eye batting in their direction. She reached out, squeezing Arizona's hand lovingly before pulling back. "I would have kicked your ass if you had left me in that airport."

"I'm really glad I didn't… I like my ass."

She snorted, falling back on her elbows as she savored the sweet, playful banter they could indulge in so far away from the watchful gaze of the village. Arizona had a talent for lightening up a serious situation even if she had been the one to start the somber conversation in the first place – it was one of the many things Callie loved about her.

"For the record, I really like your ass, too."

Arizona swatted at her thigh, shaking her head in laughter until her eyes caught the sight of Callie's feet. "Oh gross!"

"What?" The Latina sat up only to notice the grimy dirt covering both of them below the ankle. "Ew! Is this seriously where they get their drinking water from?"

The PEDs surgeon looked around briefly, seeing no other body of water in the vicinity. "I assume so… there's nothing else, which means we'll be washing surgical tools in dirt."

Callie abruptly stood up, helping Arizona to her feet. "Like Hell we will… come on, we need to get a message out to Melissa."

* * *

It took three weeks, but the supplies for the water filter finally arrived. In that time, Callie and Arizona had developed a routine. They stayed apart in the mornings, Callie overseeing the construction while Arizona maintained the clinic. They ate lunch with Azibo either outside the clinic or at one of their huts and then began their training sessions with the volunteers as they tended to patients until the sun began to set. At night, they would either eat dinner with the tribe if it was offered or would retire to their hut for a quiet meal. Hours of passionate embrace would follow on the nights the village slept, but they relegated themselves to simply holding one another on the nights they knew they were not entirely away from the watchful eyes of their community. It wasn't ideal, but they were growing accustom to it and so far it seemed to be working quite well. They were seen as a dream team of doctors, their obvious chemistry attributed to their individual talent for medicine.

Azibo rushed into the clinic and quickly spotted Callie cleaning the wound of a teenage boy who had skinned his knees playing soccer. Meeting his eyes, she quickly caught on and signaled for one of the volunteers she had been showing around to take over. She paused for a moment, looking back at the patient she was leaving. For a fraction of a second, she thought of going back, finishing the job, and making sure the boy was treated correctly, but she stopped herself. In three years, these volunteers would be running the clinic without her – she couldn't be so paranoid about their skills that she would opt to set a simple bandage herself.

Azibo noticed her trepidation and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, silently asking her to walk away. Once they were outside the clinic, they were greeted by the screeching of worn tires. Callie shielded her eyes from the glare of the burning afternoon sun, but even in her semi-blind state, she recognized the car. It has a car she has seen not too long ago.

"Ni kwamba wote wa nini?" (_Is that all of it?_) Her companion approached the man exiting the vehicle.

The driver frowned. "Ndiyo, mimi tayari waambieni kwamba. Sasa tu kuchukua na basi mimi kuondoka." (_Yes, I already told you that. Now just take it and let me leave._)

Azibo took a step back, fixing the tall man with a questioning stare. "Nini mbaya, rafiki yangu?" (_Why so harsh, my friend?)_

Dark, angered eyes dug daggers into Callie's skin for a brief, fleeting moment. "Wewe kukaribisha shetani katika kijiji yako. Mimi sipendi kukaa." (_You invite the devil into your village. I wish not to stay_.)

Callie didn't need to understand the language to know she was being talked about. What alarmed her was the man's tone and the disgruntled expression that had not left his face since he first noticed her outside the clinic. What could he possibly have against her? Was it her color? The fact that she was female? She had only met him once before when he drove them… _No! No no no, we didn't do anything!_ She did her best to swallow her panic as she replayed every action she could remember taking during their cab ride into the village. Had he found them out? Was he telling Azibo? _Run, idiot! No! Don't be dumb – they'll catch you! You suck at running!_

"Callie, where shall I put these?"

Azibo's calm voice broke her from her revere and it was only then that she realized the angered conversation had ceased. A moment later, the sound of squealing tires made her cringe as the hostile driver left them behind in a cloud of dirt and dust. Her panic began to return as each second ticked away. Did he know? Was Azibo just putting up a polite mask before he let the cat out of the bag and revealed them to the whole village? His smile seemed genuine, but could she trust it?

Sighing, the Latina decided playing along was the safest bet to avoid suspicion. "Let's move it a bit closer to the lake so it's not so hard to carry the water over."

Bit by bit, they carried the stand, spigot, filter, funnel, hose, and flat of empty bottles that she had asked Melissa to buy. It was a crude way of producing fresh water, but clearing out just small amount of the particulates in the lake water would do the villages a world of good and keep the clinic as clean as possible. In that moment, Callie decided that if this alone was her only contribution, if she and Arizona were only hours away from being discovered, she could live with having left the innocent of the area with clean water.

"How often should we replace the filter?"

She looked up for a brief moment as she hammered the stand to hold the filter into the ground. "You'll notice the water become cloudier than normal. I'll show you how to take it apart pretty easily and we can store the replacement filters in the clinic."

Azibo smiled at her and handed her a small towel to wipe the sweat from her brow. They worked together in silence until the filtration device was standing on its own. With a proud huff, Callie handed her building partner the bucket next to her feet.

"Care to do the honors?"

The Malawian quickly took off for the lake and Callie took a minute to compose herself, swallowing her fear of what the man potentially knew before he returned. _For all I know, they were talking about how long the drive is – I can't just assume they know about us. Stop being so paranoid, Callie, and focus! Make water! But what if…_

Azibo was at her side moments later with an infectious grin on his face. "Just pour?"

"Yup!" She surprised herself with the genuine excitement that filled her voice. "Just let me put the hose into one of these water bottles and careful not to overflow the funnel."

The man did as he was told and watched with utter amazement as the system Callie had built quickly filled the bottle with clear, enticing water. It was a simple miracle, but one he knew his entire tribe would not soon forget. He clamped his hand down on the woman's shoulder, waiting until her eyes met his before he spoke.

"I am so thankful that your partner chose to bring you with her. She is the heart of the clinic, but you are truly the hands."

_Partner?_

"Callie! Azibo!" A familiar voice filled their ears. "Oh wow! It works?"

Azibo laughed heartily, handing her the filled bottle. "Indeed it does – have a sip!"

Arizona took a quick taste, grimacing a bit at the slightly bitter flavor, but her smile quickly recovered. "Hey, it's way better than it was before. Good going, Callie!"

The Latina grinned nervously as her girlfriend wrapped one arm around her in a brief, platonic squeeze. It was a gesture they indulged in often, but today it felt like it was a gigantic sign screaming out about their deception. She moved out of the touch and did her best to avoid seeing the flash of hurt she knew would be gracing those beautiful blue eyes.

"My friends, this is a great day! I will make the announcement to the village and tonight, we celebrate!"

She could hear the sound of his retreating steps and knew it was only a matter of moments before Arizona would corner her. They were secluded, away from the watchful gaze of the village, and now they were alone. She couldn't hide, but she couldn't stay… she couldn't be around Arizona, not when she felt like every move he made toward the blonde was a step closer to burning everything they were working toward to the ground. She had to clear her head, forget her paranoia… she needed time.

"Calliope…"

A warm hand brushed against her arm. "Don't, Arizona. Not today."

The PEDs surgeon withdrew as if she had been stung, her heart starting to break at the string of rejection Callie was sending her way. She had been fine this morning. They had eaten breakfast and shared a longing kiss before starting their day and now? She had only been with Azibo for a few hours and suddenly couldn't stand to be around her own girlfriend? What on Earth happened?

"Callie, talk to me. Did something happen? Are you feeling okay?" She took a cautious step toward the woman before her.

"I just can't..."

Arizona was left in the wake of her quickly retreating shadow, chilled to the bone by a non-existent wind. All she could do was helplessly watch the woman she loved leave her in the dust and though a part of her knew Callie was only retreating into the village, part of her wondered just how far the Latina was actually drifting away from her.

* * *

**A/N: **To avoid being accused of being culturally inept, I will admit that the language I've included here is NOT Chichewa, the native language of Malawi. There is no direct translation between it and English, so I've coped out and used Swahili. Next chapter will focus a bit more on Arizona and her work in the clinic, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing it. I'll be back to taking classes in a couple weeks so my free time will be scarce between that and working in my research lab. I feel like most of the people who were reading this story have kinda gone "poof", so my motivation isn't particularly high, but I'll keep writing for those of you who are still with me :).


	6. Chapter 6

"Kina pumzi." Arizona grimaced at the gargle that entered her ears while she moved her stethoscope over her patient's chest – his lungs did not sound clear. She repeated her instructions again, moving the cold instrument to his back – same gargle.

Removing the stethoscope from her ears, she signaled for Azibo. Over the course of the last few weeks, the man had taught her a few key phrases to help her communicate with her patients to streamline the treatment process, but anything more complicated than simple commands like '_deep breath' _were better left to an apt translator. Explaining bronchitis in their native tongue was definitely beyond her skill level. Thankfully, through Azibo's voice, she was able to reassure the boy and his father of the treatment plan and the firm handshake and bright smile was rewarded with warmed her heart. She was making medical baby steps, but in a country like this, they were giant strides toward a better standard of living.

Her attention was quickly grabbed by a volunteer struggling to start an IV. Suppressing a sigh she would normally exaggerate in front of Seattle Grace interns, she guided the hands of the young man until the needle had been properly inserted. Some of the workers were more competent than others, but she could hardly complain about the number of people who had agreed to help from all of the connected villages. These were the people making her dream possible and they would be the ones to keep it alive when she and Callie finally returned home.

Callie.

Arizona looked across the clinic, catching a glimpse of her girlfriend through the window as she spoke with one of the builders of her long since finished surgical "room". It had been two long months since the incident by the water filter. Two months since she had confronted the fiery Latina and two months since they had pretended to convince themselves that nothing was wrong.

_The celebration with the tribe had been uncomfortable as it only acted to delay an argument both knew would boil over the moment they were alone in their hut. Callie had somehow slipped past her and was nowhere to be found once the fire had been doused. Really? She couldn't even stick around to walk her girlfriend back to the home they shared? What the Hell…_

_Determined footsteps brought Arizona to the threshold of their front door and after a quick, deep breath to subdue her blinding frustration, she made her way into the dwelling. Callie was scurrying about, her back to the PEDs surgeon, but it was obvious from her aimless wandering and flailing hands that she was simply trying to act busy._

"_Callie…"_

_The call did not still the Latina and so Arizona moved forward, ducking around the frantic woman to block her path. Their eyes met and for a moment it seemed as if the taller surgeon was finally looking at her instead of through her, but it only lasted for a second._

"_Callie, stop." The quiet plea slowly sunk in. "Just, talk to me… please."_

_A sigh fell from the younger surgeon's lips as her shoulders slumped in defeat. The blonde felt her heart sink as she took in the dejected form of the woman she loved. What on Earth happened? More than ever she was determined to force the stubborn beauty to speak instead of run - she had to know no matter what it was. Reaching out a tentative pale hand, Arizona brushed ebony hair away from fallen amber eyes, letting the soft digits linger along the jawline she had traced countless times._

_"Don't run away from me, Calliope." Try as she might, she couldn't keep her voice from cracking. "I can't do this without you."_

_The sound of held back tears seemed to snap the Latina from her trance as she immediately enveloped Arizona in a tight hug. Her strong arms wrapped around her smaller frame, blanketing her in their familiar warmth. No more words were spoken - they held each other in weighted silence, comforting one other with a language only they could speak as they simply existed in each other's arms._

Callie had written off her attitude as being the result of stress after a long day, of missing the life they had back home where they could be together in the open. The PEDs surgeon knew there was more beneath the surface of that excuse, but she didn't push - the thought of driving her lover away with too many prying questions silenced Arizona into submission. They had tip-toed around each other for a few days after that until whatever had gripped the younger surgeon so violently fell away. She had awoken to the feel of soft lips traveling over pale skin roads they knew so well and the spark she found in the dark eyes that greeted her made her realize that maybe they could get away with pretending. In the weeks that had followed, it seemed like ignorance was bliss, though Arizona couldn't help but feel like they were slowly walking toward the edge.

"Mssada!"

The blonde whirled around, startled by the sudden cry for help from the entrance of the clinic. A man in his late twenties ran swiftly into the room with a crying child in his arms. His eyes locked with Arizona's and a sense of recognition overcame them both. She knew him - he was one of the men who had helped Callie expand the clinic. Her girlfriend was only a few paces behind him and was frantically pulling her hair into a low hanging ponytail as she directed the running man to the surgical wing.

"Arizona!" The PEDs surgeon quickly fell into step with the orthopedic surgeon. "We have an open left femur, one inch protrusion, with a possible nicked femoral artery. I tied a tourniquet to slow the bleed, but we need to get in there fast."

_Shit._

The child was laid down, screaming on the gurney. He fought against Callie as the younger surgeon began to gingerly peel away the blood-stained shift that had been wrapped around his leg. When the last bit of cloth had been removed, tattered skin, trails of blood and the tell-tale ivory of a femur bone were left in its wake. Arizona signaled for the young woman she had been mentoring that week to stay with the child and hook him up to a heart monitor as the two surgeons silently rushed to the jug of filtered water that had been set up in the far corner. They scrubbed their hands clean with bars of soap, knowing it wouldn't be as sterile as they were used to but that is was the best they could do.

"I need you to handle the bleeding while I try to reduce the fracture as much as possible."

The blonde nodded in agreement, mentally stepping aside to let Callie take the lead. ""Intermedullary rods?"

The brunette smiled at her girlfriend's knowledge of her specialty as they helped each other snap on gloves, surgical masks, scrub caps, and drapes. "Without an x-ray, I won't know until I see the displacement."

They swiftly made their way back to the table as Azibo entered the room and prepared himself much as they had without a sound. This was it. They had a pediatric open femoral fracture in the middle of the desert with no anesthesia - this was why Arizona was here. Taking a hint from the expressions on the surgeons' faces, their female helper pushed the frightened older man who had brought in the child out of the room. A few moments later, the sound of drapes being drawn echoed as a sign that they were now in a "sterile" OR. All that was left was to somehow render their patient unconscious…

Azibo approached the table and, as if he could hear the silent question of his colleagues, places two fingers against a pressure point on the boy's chest. The sounds of his pained cries soon fell away as his eyes slipped shut - it was not a deep sleep and would not buy them much time, but it was all they were given.

Smiling a quiet thank you to their tribal companion, Callie took a deep breath, pressed her fingers around the wound and grimaced. "Damn, this is a bad break."

That was all that was said before Arizona began to shower the leg and their surgical tools with alcohol. She handed Callie a sterilized scalpel and the pair got to work, opening the wound to further expose the damaged bone. The older surgeon searched the adjacent tissue as she irrigated with a squirt bottle of water. Her expert eye quickly spotted the femoral artery and a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"Artery's intact – I'm going to release the tourniquet."

The Latina nodded, her eyes still fixed on the severed bone. "I can't set this correctly by hand. I'll reduce it well enough for a rod and – "

"Rod?"

_Oh damn._

Arizona picked her head up, fixing Azibo with a startled gaze. "Titanium rods – there should have been a set in one of the packages I sent you."

The tribal man shook his head solemnly. "We never saw any."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Callie looked frantically between the two doctors at her side. "I have a kid's leg cut open on a hardly sterile table and you're telling me I have to cripple him because you lost a box? Shit! God, why didn't I check that sooner? Why –"

"Calliope!" Arizona stern voice drew frightened eyes to lock in a steady gaze with her own uneasy stare. "We can figure this out. So we don't have the rods you're used to… is there anything else you can use?"

The younger surgeon paused for a moment, drinking in the calming aura of her lover's expression to clear her head. "I wouldn't trust putting another metal in his body… there has to be…"

She silently scanned the village in her mind's eyes, searching for something, anything that could possibly be made of the titanium she needed. _There!_"Pots! Cooking pots! Azibo, I need a handle from one of the communal frying pans… and nails! There should be long silver looking nails in the tool kit the builders used. Bring me four and a sturdy hammer."

The man stood frozen. "You're going to put a pot handle in his body?"

"Azibo! I don't have a choice, now move!"

Arizona waited for their friend to scurry from the room before she moved closer to Callie in a silent act of support. She could feel the rapid pounding of the woman's heart near her ear as she drank in her comforting scent. It wasn't much, but the blonde hoped it would be enough to help her girlfriend deal with what they were experiencing. She knew Callie well enough to know that there was a voice going off in her head, making her feel like a butcher – that putting kitchenware in a body, even if it would be removed later and would give the boy a fighting chance at walking normally, was something she would struggle to convince herself was right.

"You can do this, Calliope."

"Should I?" Brown eyes met blue in a pleading question. "I could reduce the fraction and stitch him up without the rod."

"Would he walk?"

The Latina sighed, her eyes falling shut. "With displacement this bad… probably not."

"So then your pot handle is his best shot at a normal life."

Their eyes met again with a renewed sense of assurance. "It's his best shot."

Azibo returned shortly with what Callie had requested, though his hands were shaking as he handed them to the surgeon. He watched as she submerged the handle, nails, and hammer head into the nearby bowl of alcohol in a feeble attempt to clean them. A smile etched across her face as she noticed holes on both ends of the handle that could act as a way for her to insert the nails without needing to shear the metal. This might actually work.

Arizona held the metal pieces as Callie moved her hands to the broken bone. "I'm going to snap the bone back and I need you to place the rod so that it's flush against parts above and below the break. I'll hammer it in place, okay?"

"Got it."

Glancing at the child's sleeping face, Callie sent a silent prayer that she wasn't about to ruin his hardly lived life. "Azibo, I need you to soak a cloth in alcohol and hold it up to his nose in case he wakes up. The smell should overload his senses and keep him from freaking out too much until he passes out from the pain."

The man quickly obeyed as he kept his eyes trained on open wound. "Ready when you are, doctors."

One…

Two…

Three…

_SNAP!_

A guttural cry emanated from the young boy as Callie pressed the bone fragments together. She pinned her arms against his abdomen and shin to keep him steady as Arizona slipped the handle in place. They paused, both unwilling to begin hammering into bone until the boy had slipped out of consciousness. It only took a matter of seconds before the screams stopped and the boy went limp. Wordlessly, Arizona moved to give her partner space while still keeping the metal against the bone.

One by one, she hammered the nails in to secure a healthy track for the bone to heal. It wasn't ideal in a child this young to use a rigid rod, but it was certainly better than nothing and so far, everything was going smoothly. The minutes ticked by until the fracture was secured; Callie gave Arizona the go ahead to irrigate and begin stitching up the wound while she kept her eyes glued to the heart monitor.

He was holding steady.

They had actually done it.

* * *

Arizona found her behind the clinic, sitting on the steps with her arms folded across her knees. She sat down beside her, peering at the far away expression plaguing tanned features, and waited. She had made sure the young boy's brother had been informed of their successful surgery and that their patient had been set up for a long term stay in the clinic – now, her priority was attending to her girlfriend. They weren't entirely alone, but she hoped the few villagers passing by wouldn't bat an eye toward them as she placed a comforting hand on her lover's thigh.

Callie glanced down at the hand briefly before returning her gaze forward as a small smile graced her lips. "I screwed a pot handle into a seven-year-old's leg today."

The blonde smiled and leaned in. "You saved his life."

"Or I just crippled him or opened him up to God knows how many infections or –"

"Stop it." Arizona's tone left little room for argument. "We're not in Seattle. We don't have access to things we're so used to having at our finger tips in the OR – you know that, you've done this before. So we adjust. _You_ adjusted beautifully. _You_ figured out a substitute for a titanium rod and _you_ managed to put his leg back together. You were awesome."

"This is nuts." The Latina bowed her head. "I've just never been the one holding the knife in a scenario like this, you know? I saw it when I was in Botswana, but actually being the one at the table? It's absolutely insane…"

"No, what's insane is the fact that that little boy would have died from an injury kids bounce back from every day in the US if you hadn't been there. That's why we're here, Calliope."

The younger surgeon sighed as she turned to face her girlfriend. "Yeah. We're making a difference."

Arizona smiled warmly at her. "Yes, we are."

"Is he all set?"

She nodded, squeezing the woman's thigh gently. "Yup, I had Azibo update the brother and we've got the little one all set up for a week stay at the clinic with a team of volunteers watching him around the clock. Then we'll send him home until the fracture heals well enough for you to remove the kitchenware and hand him back his life."

Callie chucked softly. "One medical victory…"

"One of many."

The brunette's smile widened as she continued to stare into the eyes she had fallen in love with each day for so many years. "Can we go lie down? I just… I want to be close to you."

A wave of love for this amazing woman before her crashed over Arizona and painlessly drowned her as she slowly stood, reaching out a hand. "No matter where we are, you never need to ask me if that's okay."

* * *

Arizona smiled as she awoke surrounded by a familiar scent. Ever since their first surgery in the clinic, she and Callie had been inseparable at night and they had quickly found that simply waking up together was enough to help them get through their day. It was a semblance of their life back home that they held onto in the privacy of their temporary dwelling. The terrifying experience of operating in a third world country had brought them closer together, but had also motivated them to work harder at hiding their relationship – after seeing how desperately they were needed, neither were willing to run the risk of getting them thrown out of the village.

They had lost a few patients over the months to illnesses they couldn't treat, but they had yet to lose a single villager in their surgical unit. That was something Arizona took the most pride in as they neared their six month mark. Chisulo, their open femoral fracture case, had been the confidence boost they both needed to find their groove in the clinic and also the reputation builder that made even the most skeptical of villagers willing to approach them for help. The young boy had been back to see them several times over the course of his recovery. The pot handle had not been as sturdy as they had hoped, so Callie had been forced to realign the fracture multiple times to guide the bones back into place. That had kept him bedridden for weeks, but eventually, she had been able to replace the handle in his leg with a medical titanium rod when the newly ordered shipment had arrived. It was only a matter of days now before she could remove all of the hardware from their first surgical miracle.

She couldn't keep the smile off her lips as she gazed at Callie's beautiful face. A pale hand traced lightly over a tanned cheek as the older surgeon simply drank in her lover's peaceful, sleep-induced expression. It amazed her still how innovative the Latina had been when Chisulo has first been rushed into the clinic and it made her even more grateful that the woman next to her had agreed to join her on this adventure. She wasn't sure where she would have been without her. They had always made an amazing surgical team, but this? This was something else entirely and it was fantastic.

"I can feel you staring at me."

Arizona jumped. "Ah! Callie! Don't do that!"

The brunette grinned sheepishly as she opened her eyes, running a handle through soft, blonde locks. "You're the one watching me sleep."

She moved in closer, her lips on a breath away from her newly awakened lover. "I can't help it – I can't stop looking at you."

"Sweet talker."

"You love it." She made her point with a chaste kiss against full lips.

"Mmm… yes, I do." Callie drew her back in, deepening the kiss almost immediately after it begun.

She swallowed the moan that escaped Arizona's lips as her tongue fought for dominance in a familiar mouth. Unwilling to break apart just yet, she rolled them over and pressed the smaller woman into the mattress. They melded together – lips, breasts, and hips. Their legs entangled in a heated dance that complemented the tango played out by the fingers that dove into black and blonde hair. Made bold by Arizona's eagerness, Callie tore her lips away and began a trail down the pale neck before her.

She tilted her head back, giving her lover more room to explore with lips laying sweet kisses along their path. They should stop, she knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to push Callie away. A tantalizing pull against her pulse point was enough for her to throw caution to the wind. She bucked her hips up, searching desperately for friction that her lover denied with an amused snicker. Before she could voice her frustration, she felt a palm against her breast and –

_SLAM!_

"Doctors!"

They both froze, their eyes wide and faces flushed, as they were met with the horrifying sight of Azibo who stood shocked, jaw-dropped, in their doorway.

_Fuck._

* * *

**A/N:** Ha! Don't kill me! You knew it was going to happen eventually! Moving right along, a HUGE thank you to everyone who commented on my last chapter. Your encouragment was truly inspiring! I really appreciate it. Next, let me make it clear that I'm a PhD student, not a medical student - though, ironically enough, I do my research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Arizona pride!). Anyway, I'm basing my medical knowledge off papers that I dug up in medical journals. Hopefully that wasn't too far from the truth, but hey, this is a work of fiction, so cut me some slack if I bent the rules a tad ;). And yes, the jumping timeline has been done on purpose because I don't intend for this to be a ridiculously long fic, so I apologize for that if people aren't happy with me skipping over stuff.


	7. Chapter 7

He stood there, staring.

A tan hand was threaded through blonde locks and the other disappeared beneath the smaller woman's tank top. There was no possible alternative for him – he could only interpret what he saw in one way. There was only one conclusion and it shown in his eyes like a bright fire in the middle of a darkened sea of trees.

Azibo turned abruptly, clearly his throat in an effort to summon the courage to speak.

"F-Forgive me." His voice cracked. "I did not mean to intrude, but Chisulo… he's at the clinic and he… he's having trouble breathing. Please… please come help and quickly."

With that, he was gone. As his feet blindly carried him to the clinic, he could still feel the burn of those shocked eyes digging into his back. It was not the shock or embarrassment that wounded him, it was the utter fear he could see in both their faces that threatened to bring him to his knees.

He had ruined them.

* * *

Callie let her gaze linger at the door until she heard a barely audible sniff. Turning her eyes slowly to Arizona, she felt her heart crumble at the sight of silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Wordlessly, she drew her hand out from under that older woman's top, idly smoothing out the fabric as if to erase all traces of her having explored beneath it. She leaned forward and steeled herself against the pain of her lover flinching before she let her lips graze against the wetted skin.

"What are we going to do?" The blonde's voice was barely a whisper.

With a heavy sigh, the Latina nuzzled the side of her face for a moment. "I don't know, but we can't… we have to go."

She stood up abruptly, holding her hand out for Arizona. Thoughts of their young patient pushed them to dress quickly, but the reality of their situation hung over them like a blanket threatening to suffocate them the longer they ignored it. They had tried so hard and in one moment of weakness, it had all fallen apart.

As Arizona finished lacing her tennis shoes, she looked over her shoulder at her girlfriend. The defeated expression plaguing those beautiful features squeezed the air from her lungs. Callie looked guilty, as if she was waiting for someone to smack her, scream at her… leave her. _No._ She took quick strides until she was face-to-face with the taller woman, gripped her by the collar of her shirt and leaned in to press a searing kiss against her lips without warning.

Pulling back quickly, Arizona raised her hands to firmly lock against the sides of Callie's face. "This was not your fault. Do you hear me?"

"Arizona-"

"No!" She shook the brunette's head slightly in emphasis. "We could very well be walking to this clinic for the last time. They could throw us out of the village, strand us in the dessert, or God forbid kill us, but no matter what… Calliope, no matter what they do, I won't blame you. I _love_ you."

"If I had controlled myself, we-"

She placed a pale digit against full lips. "Stop it, sweetheart. You love me; you can't help but show it and neither can I. I wasn't really stopping you and I'm the one who brought us here in the first place, so please… please, don't point fingers… just… just tell me it's going to be okay…"

Callie pulled her tightly against her chest, drying her lover's tears against her shirt. "I don't know what's going to happen, Arizona, but we'll face it together. That's all I can promise you."

The blonde nodded solemnly in defeated acceptance. She took another second to relish the warmth and security of her lover's touch before pulled back with a deep breath.

"Let's go."

* * *

By the time they reached the clinic, they could hear the chaos of panicked shouting that only became louder when they opened the door. Azibo was ushering one of their most dedicated volunteers, Chiwa, who was wheeling over their small oxygen tank. The two surgeons quickly grabbed their lab coats from the hanging hooks near the door and rushed over to the gurney where their pale patient sat with a bloody towel against his mouth.

"What've we got, Azibo?" Arizona immediately slipped into the familiar lead role on a pediatric case.

"His brother brought him in with shortness of breath, chest pain, and a mild cough, but blood started to appear in his mucus shortly before you arrived."

Callie's eyes grew wide and quickly met the same expression painted across Arizona's face. "Are you thinking what-"

"Pulmonary embolism… let's get an IV in and start him on a course of heparin. Now!"

Azibo quickly followed orders, administering the medication only minutes after being told. He stood back and watched as the PEDs surgeon continued to listen to the boy's lungs through her stethoscope while her partner held firmly to his wrist, checking his heart rate while she attached a heart monitor.

"Chiwa, what's his blood pressure?" This was a moment when the Latina wishes they had all of the vitals monitors she had taken for granted in Seattle.

Grabbing the arm-wrap pump, the young girl quickly got to work, closing her eyes for a moment to block out the noise. Her brow furrowed as she began to release the pressure on the wrap and her solemn eyes met Callie's in a worrisome apology.

"75/54…"

_Shit._

"The heparin isn't going to work – he's definitely high risk. Why the Hell did they wait until it got this bad!?"

Arizona meet the frightened eyes Chisulo's brother as her angered girlfriend ran to their medical cabinet. She knew he must have understood some of what Callie had shouted, but it didn't seem to make him flinch – he just kept staring, silently begging for them to do something. A massive pulmonary embolism causing hemodynamic instability in the middle of nowhere… he may have had a 98% chance of survival in the United States, but here?

"Chiwa, get him out of here." The young girl merely stared at the blonde surgeon. "Do it!"

Their ears were filled with the man's shouting protests as he was pushed out of the clinic, but before she could dwell on the sound for long, Callie returned with a wild ramble.

"Thrombolysis, right? That's what we would do in Seattle – breakdown the blood clot with drugs. Makes sense, right? Except we don't have any drugs! No streptokinase, or urokinase, or whatever-kinase!"

She was panicking.

"Callie-"

"No! I can't operate because trying to make an inferior vena cava filter isn't as simple as banging a pot handle into his leg and we're not cardio gods! But he's so young and… and…"

"Callie!" The brunette stilled. "We'll give the anticoagulant a chance to work. In the meantime, Azibo, keep the oxygen mask to his face so he gets as much as possible. You, come with me."

She grabbed the taller woman by the elbow and dragged her away from the gurney. "Take a deep breath. You panicking isn't going to help anyone."

"Arizona…" Callie's eyes bent under the weight of her guilt. "I operated on him over and over again. I kept that boy bedridden for weeks. He got this blood clot because I immobilized him for too long, because I was trying to save him and now?"

"Now we try again." She placed her hands on the Latina's arms. "We give the anticoagulant a shot and start him on a warfarin treatment, okay? Simple intern stuff and you know warfarin can take several days to work… so we wait."

The brunette shook her head. "And you know with his low blood pressure that his PE is too severe for that to help."

"So we crack his chest, but then what?"

Callie sighed in immediate defeat. "I don't know."

"This is the best we can do, okay?" Her hands squeezed gently. "We could do so much more back home and it sucks, but we're giving him a better shot than he would have ever had without us. Remember that, okay? This isn't your fault."

The ortho surgeon let out a small laugh as she hung her head. "You seem to be saying that a lot lately."

A pale hand briefly brushed across her cheek. "Yeah, well, you keep trying to kick yourself."

The brunette took a deep breath, glancing briefly at their patient to ensure the things were still under control. "Why am I always the crazy one?"

Arizona shot her a quick, loving smile. "I lose kids more often than I like to think and sometimes it doesn't make sense who lives and who dies, so I learned early on to stop blaming myself for the outcome. You gave this your best shot. A lesser surgeon would have never come up with solutions you pulled out of your head under all that pressure. If he had come to someone else, he would have died on that table months ago."

Callie's eyes remained fixed on Chisulo. "What if he dies now?"

The PEDs surgeon wasn't given a chance to respond before the horrific sound of a blood strangled cough filled the air. They rushed to his side as Azibo ripped off the oxygen mask and called for help. Arizona pulled the boy forward, pressing a towel against his mouth and watched in fear as crimson began to spread over the white fabric. As if reading her partner's mind, Callie slipped the mask back over the boy's face the moment the older surgeon had begun to draw away the bloodied rag. They listened to his pained wheezing until it happened. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and the deafening sound of a sudden flat line filled the room.

"No!" Callie pushed Azibo out of her way, starting compressions on his chest. "I need a crash cart!"

Arizona stepped around the bed, reaching out to touch her lover's shoulder. "Callie, we don't have one."

"How can we not have one?" She violently shrugged the shoulder away.

"Callie, stop!"

"I-I need to do a PTE… we need to aspirate the clot." Her brown eyes were frantic. "Someone get me a scalpel."

"_Calliope!_" Arizona's raised voice echoed in the small clinic. "That requires full bypass and deep hypothermia. We _can't_ do that!"

Her hands continued to press against the boy's chest, fighting against the sound of his stopped heart, as her head turned to face the woman standing next to her. "I know what I _can't_ do, Arizona! Tell me something I _can_ do!"

Pale fingers wordlessly slipped over blood-stained, tan digits. "You can stop. Let him go, Calliope. He… he's gone."

Her expression crumbled. "But…"

"Stop." The request was soft and laced with a silent pain. "You'll crush his chest. Just… he's already…"

"Chisulo!"

Their eyes met with the tear-filled eyes of the boy's older brother. He fought against the hold Chiwa had on him, jerking forward in vain to reach the lifeless body. The name echoed over and over again, dropping from his lips, growing in desperation with each successive call, but there was no reply. The boy on the bed would not speak, he would never speak again, and that daunting reality suddenly crushed the man as he dropped to his knees.

Azibo rushed to his side, reaching out a hand that was quickly smacked away. "Kapeni… Mimi ni hivyo pole (_I am so sorry)_."

Kapeni lifted his head, his eyes meeting the wounded expression of the tall doctor whose hands were on his brother's chest. His brow slowly furrowed in anger as he raised his right hand. A finger pointed toward the Latina and no one moved.

"Muuaji…"

And with that, he stood and raced from the clinic.

Arizona stepped closer to Callie, letting her near proximity bring some comfort to her clearly shaken girlfriend. Subtly squeezing one of the younger surgeon's hands, she addressed the man before then.

"Azibo, what did he say?"

The tribal doctor sent them a solemn stare. "Murderer…"

* * *

They sat on the steps behind the clinic, watching the wind play with the sand and dirt before them. Callie had her arms crossed over her knees and leaned into Arizona's side, relishing the feel of the older surgeon's hand rubbing comforting circles on her back. Azibo had joined them and stood a few feet away, staring out into the distance in complete silence. That was how they existed for a few moments; just letting the calm of the village take hold and fight against the turmoil inside each of them.

"Do you know what her name means?" The tribal man broke the silence. "The woman who was helping us."

Arizona was the only one who could find her voice to reply. "Chiwa?"

"Yes, it means death."

The surgeons both shuddered. "A little ironic to have that around a medical clinic."

Azibo looked down at the smaller woman. "I suppose, though so is having a body lying unattended. I will have to track down Kapeni once he is calm so we can discuss burial arrangements."

Callie sniffed in response, holding back tears that threatened to fall as her lover moved in closer, blanketing her in subtle warmth. She didn't speak; she just stared at the dirt as if there was something in its golden grains so interesting that it could keep her from facing her companions. In reality, she couldn't bring herself to fight against the weight of her guilt. Its gravity pushed her eyes to the ground.

"Please do not blame yourselves, my friends." Azibo's gentle voice broke the lapse of silence. "We all know you did everything you could. I am only sorry all of your hard work went to waste, Callie."

At that, the ortho surgeon raised her eyes. "No, not a waste. I gave him three months. He got to laugh and live and love for three extra months… that's something."

Arizona beamed at her. "Yes… yes it is."

They shared a conversation only they could hear, passed between beautiful smiles, until the sound of footfalls drew their attention astray. Kapeni stood before them, a hand behind his back, the other clenched in a tight fist as he locked eyes with the woman he had screamed at before. He made to take a step forward, but drew back, darting his gaze between the three doctors.

"Muuaji!"

It happened quickly, but Arizona's reflexes were faster. As he drew his hand from its hiding place, she moved to cover Callie. She never saw the jagged rock, but she felt it collide with her left shoulder and rip at her shirt and skin. The reverberating crack and gasped shout of her name deafened her as a wave of pain threatened to drown her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she slumped against her lover's form as she held in a scream. Shit. That hurt like a _bitch_!

"Arizona!" Callie quickly ran her fingers over the woman, checking her shoulder blade for any obvious injury. "Jesus… are you okay?"

The older woman curled into the warm chest she was tenderly pressed against. "Ow…"

Sighing with relief when she felt only solid bone and slightly torn skin, Callie called out to bring Azibo back from where he had run out to chase Kapeni away. "Can you bring her a bag of ice, a couple pills of ibuprofen, and some water?"

When he had left them with a simple nod, the Latina drew Arizona from her chest so their eyes could meet. "Are you nuts?"

"Hey! You're not allowed to call me names." Her pink lips formed an exaggerated pout. "I just took a rock for you!"

"Really, Arizona? A rock?"

The edges of her pout crept up into a betraying smile. "Okay fine, not as badass and stupid as you almost taking a bullet for me, but I get some credit, right?"

She wanted so desperately to kiss the childish woman before her, but the fresh memory of what had happened to them only hours before kept her still. The best she could do was offer a warm smile and a gentle hug that lingered until their companion returned with the pain relievers. She nodded her head in thanks as Azibo knelt before them and helped situate the ice where it was needed.

"If you are well enough stand, Arizona, I suggest we relocate to my dwelling." They joined his gaze as he surveyed the curious villagers eyeing them.

"Azibo-"

He silenced the blonde with a raised hand. "I know that after this morning you may be questioning my motives, but please… I will not discuss this in the eyes of the judging public, so all I will say in an effort to gain your trust is that when I said loyalty would be important in this village, I was referring to _my_ loyalty to _you_."

They followed him without a word, Callie keeping a protective arm around Arizona as they walked. It was a short trek and before they knew it, they were shielded from prying eyes by the wooden slab of a door. They waited for their companion to speak as they had no idea where to even begin. Azibo sat down at the table and gestured for his guests to take a seat. Once they were comfortably situated he sighed, but never let his gaze fall from theirs.

"I assume what I saw this morning was not a new development."

Their eyes widened.

"Relax, my friends." His warm smile chipped away at their defenses. "I had my suspicions surrounding the nature of your relationship, but that is merely because I am more observant than my brothers and sisters of the village."

Arizona was the first to speak. "No one else knows?"

He shook his head. "I would think not. You two are quite apt at concealing your feelings and I trust that the others do not consider homosexual relationships to be common, so the likelihood that they would interpret your interactions as such is small. I, on the other hand, spent enough time in your country to be exposed to the pride your people take in all of your differences. It is not such an 'out of this world' concept for me that two women could harbor romantic feelings for one another."

"And you're okay with it?" Callie's voice was laced with suspicion.

"Okay with it? Yes. Willing to keep it a secret to protect you? Without a doubt. Understand it completely? Perhaps not, but who you love is your business." He placed his hands over theirs across the table. "All I focus on are the miracles you bring to my people every day that you are here… it matters little to me who you love because it does not change the good you are doing."

The two surgeons stared at him in silent wonderment as he accepted them so swiftly in midst of a village that they would not have taken kindly to the news. He had opened his mind and his heart in a way that people they knew – friends, even family – could not. They had imagined every scenario but this one. Never had they even dared to dream that they would find an ally should their secret ever come out and yet, here he was. The man who had exposed them was offering to stay silent at no cost. That was a miracle in and of itself.

As they soaked in the honesty they found in his eyes, they couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, there was hope.

This was not the end.

* * *

**A/N:** Gah! So sorry this took so long to post... it has been a long week or so at work and now I have classes to deal with. This chapter was supposed to include a rating change, but it was already a monster in terms of length and I am way too tired to write anymore, so I decided that's going to happen next time. This one was hard enough to write. Hopefully I did my ideas justice! I have a research retreat this weekend, so I probably won't be able to post soon, but I will try to get the chapter up in a timely manner... it just needs to be written right - the important bit is already written... just got to figure out how to weave it in. The events in the next chapter will start pushing us to the end of the story... I don't have the exact ending in mind, but I'll figure that out eventually - probably got about 3 chapters left!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: ** Please note the rating change! Be aware that this chapter cotains **mild ****mature content, including mentions of violence**.

* * *

The funeral was not elaborate by any means - just a group of people standing in silence around a hole in the ground while an aged woman chanted something unintelligible. Simple, but everyone in the village had come. It was a tribute to how close knit their community was. No one hesitated even in the burning heat; they all came to pay their respects out of love for this once vibrant youth that had made each of them smile at one point or another.

It was not the first patient funeral Arizona had been to. It was not the first time she and Callie had attended one together. It wasn't even the first time she was at the funeral for a patient whose family had initially blamed her or Callie for their loved one's untimely death. So why did this one hurt so much? Was it her fear that she was in over her head when she accepted the Carter Madison grant? Was it the possibility that the villagers would no longer trust her and all she had worked for would be for nothing? Or was it the terrifying prospect that the weight of this loss and the stifling guilt that hung over their heads would put a wedge between her and the woman she loved? Would Callie blame her for bringing her into this world when she saw the scars the experience had left on her spirit? She knew this had struck her lover down and no amount of comforting could fully lift the younger surgeon off her knees.

As if hearing the blonde's internal struggle, Callie slipped her fingers between pale digits. They stood in the back, their clasped hands hidden from view, but the warmth that simple gesture brought was enough to at least quiet the tone of Arizona's frantic mind. They were still in this together no matter what had happened and the older woman loved her partner all the more for never letting her forget that fact.

Taking a deep breath, the PEDs surgeon let her eyes drift to the crowd. Azibo stood across the flock with his head bowed and his eyes shut. Women and young girls were hunched over weeping and men stood tall with blank expressions, but two people in particular caught her attention. Near the wooden casket stood Kapeni - silent tears streaming down his dark face - and at the back of the crowd was a man she could hardly make out. She could see his gritted teeth and hunched shoulders; his body language screamed anger and hurt to an extent that threatened to overwhelm her. She didn't recognize him - could he be family? Chisulo's father?

Drip.

A sudden splash of water shook her from her wonderment. _Rain? _No, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She looked down to her hand where she had felt the water hit and then it struck her. Her eyes darted to Callie's only to be greeted by the haunting vision of those chocolate orbs drowning in a sea of tears. Her heart crumbled bit-by-bit with ever tear the rolled down tanned cheeks. It was torture to see her lover fall apart and know there was nothing she could do. She couldn't press her lips against the trembling ones before her. She couldn't press the younger woman's face against her chest, soothing her cries with the strong beat of her heart. She couldn't...

A strangled sob.

_Oh to Hell with it!_

She let go of Callie's hand and before the other woman could register the lack of warmth, she quickly enveloped her in a tight embrace. She didn't care what anyone else thought. This woman was her life - her everything. To anyone who gave them a passing glance, she was comforting a friend, but the two of them knew it was more. This was an outward display of affection in disguise to remind them of who they were back home, who they would always be together. A simple hug, warm arms across a hunched back, and tears wetting a pale neck - they were a picture of anguished partnership.

"Breathe, sweetheart."

The gentle whisper soothed the Latina. "Please... can you... can you just..."

Her response was a tighter embrace and that is how they stayed until the funeral came to an end. Feet shuffled past them and with each foot fall their hold lessened until they were standing side by side, staring at a small mound of dirt crowned by a solitary stick decorated by a festively colored scarf. A shadow was cast over them when the sound of retreating steps suddenly stopped.

"You did everything you could for him."

Arizona kept her eyes trained on the grave. "You've said that every day since his death, Azibo."

The tribal man offered them a small smile. "And I will continue to say it until the day you hear it as truth instead of just words."

Callie was the first to lock eyes with him. "We know it's true, but it doesn't make his death any easier to accept."

"The day it's easy to lose a patient, the day it stops affecting us when someone dies on our table…" Arizona paused to sigh. "That's the day you take the scalpel out of our hands."

Gentle palms grazed their shoulders as he stepped behind them. "Your gracious hearts never cease, my friends. Please, take the morning for each other."

They turned their heads, staring at him in disbelief.

"Do not argue, just go. Lift one another so that you can return to help the rest of the village that needs you. I can handle the early morning crowd as you mourn."

Callie watched as he retreated, a warm smile on his face and a gentle wave ushering them to carry on. She couldn't help but be touched by his subtle gesture. It had happened several times since he had revealed knowing about them. He would find excuses for them to spend time together, alone so that their days would become just a little bit easier. It was as if the masquerade they had been dancing had finally ceased – the music continued to play and their feet continued to sweep the floor, but the masks were off. It was a breath of fresh air.

"Should we go for a walk?"

Arizona's voice drew a smile to Callie's face. "I'd like that."

And so they let their feet carry them, their bodies journeying still close to one another as they made their way to the outskirts of the village. They strode in silence until they were sure they were far from the prying eyes and ears of their community. It was by the small lake that they took refuge, sitting on familiar rocks that they had used in the past.

The PEDs surgeon sat close, wrapping am arm around her lover's lower back as they gazed at the water. "You know, I actually like the fact that Azibo knows about us. We tried so hard to hide it, but now that he knows… it's kind of nice."

Callie smiled. "Yeah, it is – we got lucky, though."

"You still think this is worth it?"

The smile began to falter. "What's worth it? Being here?" She waited until Arizona nodded. "Of course! I know we can't save everyone we try to help here, but can you imagine what things were like before we got here? The first few months I was in Botswana, we didn't even have a clinic. That was my first assignment – build the darn thing – and it was horrific. You see kids and parents and grandparents get hurt and there's nowhere to take them, only the very basic amounts of medical supplies, pretty much no medication… and the rare times someone had a serious infection or life threatening injury? I'll just say that watching a non-sterile, fully awake amputation is not something I will ever be able to get out of my mind."

The blonde swallowed roughly as her eyes remained fixed on her lover's. "Is that what first inspired you to choose orthopedics?"

Callie leaned against Arizona, looking down at her fondly as she contemplated the personal question. "That was part of it. The whole experience got my sorry ass in gear and sent me to med school, but yeah… it probably did get me thinking about ortho. Gruesome surgeries like that, debilitating cases of polio… I guess that's not really a glamorous way to inspire someone, but I just felt like I could make a difference if I became someone who tried to improve those procedures or at least make them available to people."

Arizona brushed back a few stray strands of ebony from her lover's face as her smile widened, dimples popping. "Pretty similar to why I got into PEDs… well, minus the whole gruesome leg hacking surgery you sat through. I wanted to be one of those people who gave sick kids hope. This is a pretty awesome way to do that."

"Being surgeons?"

"Well yeah, but I mean being here." She pointed to the village for emphasis.

The Latina sighed. "Yeah, it is."

She watched as the taller woman beside her returned her gaze to the water, the dark bags under her eyes broadcasting the obvious exhaustion that had taken its toll. In the three days between Chisulo's death and his burial, she had caught her lover awake through the night, staring out the window across the room. Arizona would lay wrapped in the cold sheets and watch her as she thought through her inner turmoil, assuming she was doing so without an audience. She had tried to comfort her lover once, but Callie had pushed her away and had even shied away from physical contact beyond what they were currently indulging in.

Enough was enough.

"Calliope…"

The Latina turned to her, the confusion etched in her eyes becoming deeper as Arizona leaned toward her even more. "Give me some of the weight… don't carry everything on your shoulders."

It only took a brief, silent conversation before the decision was made. They stood with gentle smiles on their faces. Hands brushed, cheeks flushed lightly, and they were soon on their way back to their hut. The wooden door shut, secured with rope and hooks that Callie had fastened as a makeshift lock, and suddenly the air grew thick.

"I love you."

Neither was entirely sure who had said it first as the words spilled from both of their mouths, but it was enough of a catalyst to move them forward. Lips grazed, fingers wove into silken strands of black and gold, and blind feet pushed them back toward the bottom bunk they had shared for months. Callie felt the chill of long abandoned sheets hit her back as she was gently guided down against the mattress by a loving weight above her.

She gasped for air, the oxygen caught in her throat as she felt pale lips leave a feverish burn of a trail down her neck. A soft moan escaped her, her back arching as the fire continued to spread. How long had it been? She was vaguely aware of Arizona unbuttoning her shirt, slightly cognoscente of the sensation of skin being exposed to air, but all she could focus on was the drastic change in her heartbeat. It pounded almost painfully, rapidly against her chest as clothes were removed and two distinct skin tones melded together. She found herself completely in her lover's hands.

It was as if every inch of her skin was being worshiped. There was no rush, no frantic need, just hands and lips paying their respects to every living cell. A flood of ecstasy filled her as familiar fingers raked down her back, a warm mouth pleasuring her breasts, and the steady rock of prominent hips brought her closer and closer to the edge. She was losing control with every passing breath and it felt incredible. Soon, she was calling out, begging for more, for her lover to make her feel again.

"I love you." It was a gentle whisper of her need and of her partner's agreement to give her everything.

Pale digits found purchase between tanned thighs and lips found one another in a tangled dance to music only their ears could interpret. They held each other as they moved to their own internal rhythm. Their hearts kept the beat, their moans acting as harmony, and their wandering hands delivering each note of their building symphony. They were whole if only for this one, beautiful moment in time.

They had lost all sense of the minutes, hours that ticked by until they found themselves in an exhausted heap, glued to one another by a combination of sweat and affection. Arizona was the first to recover, crawling up her lover's body so she could push aside the hair that had matted against the woman's stunning face. She pressed a gentle kiss to soft lips, smiling against her mouth when she felt hands encircle the sides of her face.

"Thank you…"

The hoarseness of Callie's voice and her clear inability to keep her eyes open filled Arizona with a slightly smug sense of a pride. "Sleep, sweetheart."

"Mmm... clinic."

The blonde's smile grew impossibly wide. "Let me handle it, okay? You take the day off and just recharge."

"When you come home… can we… again?"

Arizona bit back a laugh. "Are you bribing me with sex?"

"Whatever will make you come home faster."

She pressed a kiss to the nearly asleep woman's cheek. "Knowing you're here will always bring me home faster. Please just sleep..."

The older surgeon waited for the tell-tale signs that her lover had finally drifted off before she carefully made her way out of the bed. As she dressed, she couldn't help but continue to cast her gaze at Callie – the woman, after all these years, still managed to take her breath away. She had never felt like this with anyone. She had never felt more alive in someone's arms, making love had never felt so perfect, and no one had ever made her knees so weak with just a single smile. They had been through so much together in such a short time and yet they had conquered every challenge that had come their way. She had long ago forgiven herself for initially turning Callie down, but moments like this still reminded her how stupid she had been to every consider not giving this amazing woman a chance. What a life she would have missed out on… It was in that moment that a thought dawned on her with such an overwhelming amount of force that she could not deny it.

_I want to spend the rest of my life with her._

Tying a final knot on her tennis shoes, Arizona made her way back to the bed and placed a soft kiss against her lover's forehead. "When we go home," she whispered. "I'm going to marry you."

She let the words echo against deaf ears as she eased her way out of the hut. The euphoria that surrounded her, the incredible warmth that blanketed her by admitting those words made her blind to everything around her. She walked in a haze, a wide smile on her face, a skip in her step and only faltered when a man nearly collided with her. The pause was only brief before she returned to her cheerful trajectory, thoughts of Callie and a white wedding filling her mind and pushing out the sorrows from the morning.

Azibo's smiling face, greeting her at the clinic's entrance, just made Arizona sure that today was a day she would not soon forget.

* * *

_She heard their footsteps long before the sound of wood smashing against the wall of their home. The heavy thud of their boots, the anger behind each stride, it froze her in fear knowing there was no way out. They were shouting words she didn't understand, but the hatred in their eyes was something she was familiar with and it made her back away in a desperate plea._

_Their hands were rough and violent as they pushed her around the room. Chairs fell, plates broke, cups rolled across the uneven ground as they moved her like a broken marionette. One more sharp tug and she heard a disgustingly familiar pop. A wave of white, hot pain shot from her shoulder through her body and she bit back the urge to scream in utter agony. The calloused hand across her mouth strangled what little whimper she managed to utter._

_She stumbled and they pushed her down, wood splintering against her face. Blood. She bit her tongue. One was straddling her legs and the other was holding her down with an arm pressing down across her neck and a hand over her lips. The tears welled in her eyes – she knew what was to come. She fought – kicked and scratched as the man above her began to tug at her belt, whispering threats in a tongue she didn't know but a tone of voice she would have had to have been deaf not to recognize._

_The belt was gone and then suddenly back, whipped across her face until she stopped fighting, until she just laid there as he reached for the button and pulled down the zipper. The tears streamed down her face as she felt his hands roughly force their way passed the tight fabric, cupping her heat with a painful dig. She cried out, her fear and sorrow muffled by a cowardly hand. Then it all fell into place._

_The arm across her neck fell away, fingers groping her breast through the tousled fabric of her ripped shirt – she could breathe. The man above her moved off her legs, reaching to undo his own pants – there was her opening. She reeled her knee back and kicked as her right hand, the only one she could feel, reached for the wrist by her chest and twisted tight. Her foot connected with gratifyingly soft tissue and she could feel a satisfactory snap beneath her fingertips._

_All too soon they recovered and she could hear them get back on their feet as she attempted to scramble away. A tug on her leg and she was face first on the ground. She turned in time to see the man she had kicked with a chair raised above his head. She knew him…_

_The taxi driver._

"_Muuaji."_

_Then all was black against the sound of splintering wood._

* * *

**A/N 2: **Don't kill me! This chapter was impossible to write. I had the ending written weeks ago, but my ideas of how the lead into it kept changing. Hopefully what I came up with does the story justice. I've never written anything quite like this... we are nearing the end, my friends! PS One of you guys guess this was going to happen after I posted the last chapter! Hopefully I still managed to surprise you with where I went with that idea!_  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** There is an extensive conversation that should not be in English in this chapter, but for the sake of continuity, I have opted for leaving out the Swahili and written only the English translation (in italics).

* * *

It had been a fairly slow day at the clinic. The most devastating injury that she had dealt with was a dislocated shoulder, which she easily popped back into place. The mundane work environment gave her time to think, time to consider the huge step she was planning to take when she was finally back in the Seattle rain.

_I'm going to marry Calliope._

Marriage had never been something she saw herself submitting to. Chaining herself down to one woman for the rest of her life? White picket fences, in-laws, big poofy dresses, and babies? None of it had been a part of her carefree dream. She had wanted adventure, travel, sangria, foreign beaches, and smoking hot women in bikinis. Now, she only wanted one smoking hot woman in a bikini and she had a pretty good feeling that woman wanted only her, too. There was no way to put to words to the sense of euphoria that flowed through every vein of her body when she thought about marrying the love of her life. Thankfully she still had a little more than two years to plan the perfect proposal…

A romantic dinner, candlelight illuminating their smiles as they sat surrounded by the night… violins playing in the distance. Oh God, that was so cliché! Moans and whispered words of love. Sweat gliding down their heated flesh. A cloud of bliss and in that moment, an uttered question for a life together. Maybe… No, she wouldn't plan this so far in advance. She would let the moment grab hold of her. Though the down side of that was having to carry a ring in her pocket every day so she wouldn't miss that perfect moment. A small price to pay for the beautiful smile she knew it would bring to Callie's face.

Azibo watched the PEDs surgeon as she happily danced from one patient to the next. It warmed his heart to see the sudden change in her spirit. A shadow had followed her in the days trailing Chisulo's death; most had not noticed her subdued enthusiasm, but he had seen it clearly. She had willingly swallowed her own pain in order to keep her partner from falling apart. It had been a noble deed and one that assured the tribal man that the two women were very much in love. That simply made this sudden change so much more miraculous… a morning with the woman she loved had been enough to erase the darkness in her eyes.

His reflection was cut short by the sudden slamming of the clinic door against the wall. A man staggered inside, his head bowed, shoulders slumped, and blood dripped down his face. The native doctor turned to Arizona, catching her alarmed gaze. He noticed the young child in her care and signaled for her to keep working before he rushed to his new patient. The man fell to his knees as soon as Azibo reached him, uttering a string of curses he could hardly make out.

With Chiwa's help, he managed to get the older man to an empty bed. They worked quickly, checking his blood pressure, heartbeat, and obvious wounds. His knuckles were bloodied, the flesh torn from a fight, and strands of long black hair were laced between some of his fingers. Most alarming was the wound on the side of his face, but not because of how deep it was or the wooden splinters caught in it… no, it was the fact that observing the wound meant Azibo gazed upon the victim's face and immediately recognized him.

"Dulani… Ni nini kilichotokea na wewe? (_Dulani_… _What happened to you?_)"

"Mimi kujaribu kunyamazisha shetani na shahidi mmoja amesimama katika njia yangu ni mwana wangu. (_I try to silence the devil and the martyr standing in my way is my son._)"

Azibo paused, his hand stilled against the bandage he was placing against the man's face. Devil? He had heard him say this once before… it had been months ago when they had first started to build their water filter… and Callie had been at his side.

"Kile shetani? (_What devil?_)" The doctor silently signaled for Chiwa to take over for him.

The older man spat on the ground before them. "Wewe kucheza bubu ... labda yeye imenipatia na wewe. (_You play dumb... perhaps she has gotten to you._)"

_No!_

He moved swiftly to Arizona's side, grabbing her by the elbow. Her wide, blue eyes met his piercing gaze and though he had yet to speak, she had a feeling she would not like hearing what he had to say. Something about the man who had come in had rattled the doctor; his usually calm disposition was hanging on by a thread. She turned to the helper she had been training, explaining to him the steps for applying the bandage she had prepared, and then followed her friend out of the clinic with only a passing glance to the bloodied man on the gurney staring her down.

"Azibo, what's going on?" She tried to fall into step with him as he took long strides away from the building.

"We need to get back."

"Back where? Who was that guy?"

He did not stop. "Banishing a devil…"

"Devil?"

He wouldn't believe it… not yet. "…must be wrong…"

"Azibo! What…"

Whatever other words she had planned to utter died on her lips as she collided with the man before her when he suddenly stopped his movements. And then she saw it. The home she shared with Callie stood before them in ruin. The door was broken, hanging on by just one hinge, and she could see some of the overturned furniture that littered the floor.

"Calliope…"

She rushed ahead, her legs carrying her into the wreckage though they threatened to buckle when her eyes took in the devastating sight. Plates, cups, chairs, tables… all broken. A pool of blood to her right. Sheets strewn across the floor. Where was she?

"Callie!"

She moved frantically until she heard a moan. Behind the table! Rushing around the wooden slab she found her lover on her back, face twisted in pain. There were cuts across her face, blood dripped down from a gash on her forehead, a shoulder that looked deformed… Arizona fell to her knees. She sat shell shocked until Azibo rushed in and she saw Callie cringe at the sight of his silhouette. Swallowing the bile that threatened to creep up her throat, she crawled over to the Latina's side and brushed her hair back gently.

"Calliope, it's okay." She placed a kiss against her cheek. "I'm here, baby. It's me… it's me."

"Ari…zona." The younger woman grimaced as the words left her cracked lips.

Her blue eyes silently begged for Azibo's help. He ran to the bed where he knew they kept a modest medical kit and brought it over, kneeling beside her so that Callie could see his familiar face. Bandages and sterile wipes were all he had to work with, but he immediately began to dab at the gash on her forehead while the blonde surgeon held her hand and inspected her shoulder.

"We need to pop this back in. Can you help me sit her up?"

They held her back gingerly, Azibo remaining behind her so that the injured woman wouldn't collapse back to the floor. Arizona placed a calming hand on her lover's cheek, willing herself to swallow the anxiety flooding her mind. Callie needed her. She needed a strong, mentally able doctor, friend, partner… allowing herself to be beaten down by grief would not do her any good. A doctor… yes, that's what she had to be.

"This is going to hurt, but I'll make it quick, okay?" She waited for the subdued woman to nod before placing her hands on the dislocated shoulder. "One… two…"

_Pop!_

Her scream was muffled against Arizona's chest as she collapsed into her, the pain radiated swiftly from her shoulder and dissipating moments later. She remained there, the sound of her girlfriend's heartbeat soothing her, reminding her that she was enveloped by a loving sanctuary. Was this real? The last time she had been awake, fear had threatened to destroy her and yet now, she was in the warmest embrace she had ever known. She could vaguely register that someone was wrapping a makeshift sling out of an ace bandage around her arm, but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was lie there, her ear being filled with the sweet sound of a beating heart and her senses overloaded by the calming smell of the woman who meant everything to her.

"Sweetheart," a gentle hand threaded through her hair. "Who did this to you?"

She could only breathe out one word. "Taxi…"

Arizona paused, waiting for the word to register in her mind. When it didn't, she titled her gaze to Azibo in the hopes that he knew something she didn't. The grim look that came over his face made her suddenly wish she hadn't looked.

"The man who brought you to the village… Dulani." The tribal man swallowed noticeably. "He is Chisulo's father."

Her blood ran cold and the gentle grip she had on Callie tightened in a subconscious display of protection. She didn't remember what the cab driver had looked like… it had been so long ago. Could he have been the man she noticed at the funeral? Was he the person Azibo had been treating at the clinic? Why would he hurt Callie? Her mind overloaded with questions and the subtle nod of her friend's head, affirming her suspicions of the man's identity threatened to deafen her, but all grew silent at the sounding of a pained whimper from the woman in her arms.

"Calliope, what did he do to you?" She shifted them so she could gently rest the back of her lover's head against the crook of her arm and lock eyes with the injured woman.

"I tried to get away…" Her eyes grew heavy with the memory of her attack. "They hit me… broke things… pinned me to the ground."

They?

"Callie, who else was here?" Azibo's voice was chocked by grief.

"Ka… Kapeni…"

…_The martyr standing in my way is my son_…

The tribal doctor had been expecting the answer, but it did not lessen the pain of the revelation. He chanced a passing glance at Arizona and felt his resolve crumble at the sight of the tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she caressed Callie's face with a gentleness borne out of aged love. The air caught in his throat as he witnessed her lean forward and press a nearly reverent kiss to the broken woman's forehead. In any other context, it was an image that would have warmed his heart, but now it simply brought him to his knees in sympathy.

"You have to keep talking, baby." Arizona's voice was wrought with anguish. "I can't help you unless I know what's wrong…"

"I tried to get away…" The tears poured from brown eyes and her lover reacted out of reflex, drawing her tanned face against her chest.

"Shhh… it's okay, sweetheart. I've got you." The gentle words were the only comfort she could offer.

"They held me down and he… the taxi… he tried to…"

She couldn't breathe. She pulled Callie only far enough away from her chest so she could gaze down at her lap. The tattered state of her clothing finally sunk in – there were buttons missing from her shirt and the zipper of her jeans was broken open. How had she missed that before?

"Oh God..." Her eyes shifted back to the frightened ones of the Latina in her arms. "Did he… _did_ he?"

Callie held her gaze. "I don't know. I kicked him, but he… he got back up and picked up the chair."

Arizona followed the younger surgeon's eyes as they focused on the offending piece of furniture beside them that sat in shambles, smattered with blood. Every second she remained staring at the chair was like a blow to her stomach, knocking the air from her lungs and threatening to overtake her. Her instinct was to wrap Callie securely in her embrace, allowing the tears wetting tanned cheeks to soak into her scrub top as she prayed to whatever God was up there to not let this be real.

"It doesn't hurt."

Callie's voice captured her attention once more. "What?"

"I-I don't think he did." She sniffed loudly before meeting the confused expression on her girlfriend's face. "It doesn't hurt."

Relief washed over her as she pressed Callie against her again and kissed the top of her head. "Thank God… do you feel dizzy or nauseous at all?"

The orthopedic surgeon shook her head. "Just dizzy… tired."

Azibo placed a calming hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Concussion?"

"After getting hit with a chair, I would think so." The bite in her tone was something he easily forgave her for. "Can you help me get her to the bed?"

They moved carefully, supporting Callie on both sides as they made a slow trek to the other end of the room. Arizona sat on the mattress first and helped Azibo guide her lover down across her lap so that she was cradling the Latina's head by her heart. He reached over and draped a discarded blanket over them, smiling sadly at the PEDs surgeon as he combed a hand through her golden hair.

"I am going to return to the clinic to bring her a proper sling and something for the pain." He reached down and picked up another blanket. "I will hang this in the doorway to give you what little privacy I can offer. Do you need anything else?"

Arizona shook her head. "Thank you, Azibo."

She waited until he had left before returning her attention to the woman she held like a lifeline. Callie had grown quiet with near sleep, but she jostled her from the tempting hold of slumber by a light shaking of the woman's good shoulder.

"Stay awake, Calliope." Her voice was only as strong as a whisper. "You can't fall asleep on me, alright?"

Callie grunted. "Can we go home?"

The questioned threatened to crush Arizona with its weight, but she was quick to respond with simplicity. "Yes."

"I'm sorry."

That was not the response she had been expecting.

"Don't you ever say that." She pressed a kiss above the bandage on the Latina's forehead. "This wasn't your fault. Do you hear me? None of this was your fault."

A shaking hand reached up to caress the pale arm wrapped around her. "You, too. It's not your fault."

Arizona closed her eyes, swallowing her rebuttal and opting for a desperate plea. "I need you to hang in there. It's all going to be okay."

Callie turned her head to nuzzle further into the older woman's chest. With images of Dulani and Kapeni rushing through her mind, she wasn't sure if she could believe the reassuring words she was hearing. How would it all be okay? How would anything ever be okay again?

"Do you know how I know that?" Arizona had apparently read her mind. "Because we're going to get out of here and when I take you home, I'm gonna marry you."

Air caught in her throat and she grasped at the blonde's scrub top.

"That's right – I'm going to ask you to marry me." Tears made her soft voice crack. "So you have to keep smiling, okay? Because I need you smiling when I ask you and I need you smiling when you're walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white, poofy dress. And then we're gonna buy a house together somewhere really nice with an amazing view and the kitchen you've always dreamed of. It'll be big enough for a whole family because we're going to raise the most amazing kids. It's going to be the house we grow old in together, okay? So you hang in there because we're going to spend the rest of our lives together and I can't do that without seeing your beautiful smile every day."

A cold nose pressed against her neck as tears wetted her skin. Callie shifted, grasping at her in an attempt to bring them as close together as her injured shoulder would allow. The tears were rampant, forcing vocalized sobs from her lips as she shook in her lover's embrace. There was a difference to these tears, though. They were not just of fear and pain – there was a subtle sense of hope in each drop of water that became clearer with the broken words that escaped her lips as they were mouthed against pale skin.

"I love you."

* * *

Azibo moved swiftly out of the clinic, his hands full of the supplies he had promised Arizona. Thankfully, he had managed to sneak in and out without being noticed by Dulani who had been resting on a gurney in the far corner of the room. As his feet carried him back to his friends' dwelling, his eyes wandered around the village. Men, women, and children went about their day as if nothing had happened. No one was willing to get involved and while normally he appreciated the disinterest in gossip amongst his peers, he found himself growing angry at the thought. No one had stepped in to help… except one person. His gaze fell upon a long figure standing by the lake, looking out across the barren plains.

Kapeni.

Without truly being conscious of his actions, the tribal doctor found himself within feet of the lost man. From the way Kapeni's shoulders had slowly tensed, he knew his presence had not gone unnoticed and yet he stood in silence. There were too many questions running through his head, but they all condensed to one curiosity at the sight of bloodied knuckles and a deformed wrist.

"_Since you stand calmly, I take it she is well?"_

Azibo took a step back, startled by the sudden remark. _"I assume you already know the answer to that."_

"_I can feel your judgment; it weighs heavily upon my shoulders."_

There was a moment of silence that passed between them while the doctor placed the medical supplies he had been carrying on the ground. Kapeni still stood with his back turned, but it was not a stance of defense or defiance… to Azibo, it looked more like defeat. That only made his curiosity boil over.

"_You stopped him."_

The answer was as simple as the question. _"I did."_

"_Why?"_

A fist clenched and unclenched rapidly. _"Because I remembered what she did…"_

"_Kapeni, Chisulo's death was not-"_

"_I remembered the days she gave him." _Azibo was stunned. _"I saw his face, heard his laughter, remembered how he would talk of her as if she was his savior. If she had not been there when he fell, I would have lost my brother that day, but she was there and he lived. I lost sight of that and my father convinced me I had been right in my anger, but he was not here. He did not witness the miracle. He was not here to experience the fear of losing him and the joy of having him back."_

The pieces began to fall into place. _"I trust Dulani did not see things as clearly as you did in the end?"_

"_No."_ Kapeni drew his injured hand to his chest, cradling it near his heart. _"I asked him to stop after he had struck her and she lay before us, motionless."_

"_The chair?"_

"_Yes." _A regretful sigh escaped his lips. _"He would not hear me even when I reasoned with him. He told me I was weak, that I had let myself fall victim to the devil that had killed my brother… he said it was my weakness that led to his fate… and then I lost control."_

"_You struck him with a piece of wood?"_

Kapeni turned to face him with wide eyes. _"How do you know this?"_

"_Your father came to the clinic."_

"_You treated him?"_

Azibo shook his head. _"He spoke of a devil and a martyr who blocked his path – I had heard him spin such hate months before. It did not take long to make sense of his riddle. What happened next, Kapeni?"_

"_He recovered and lunged for me. I fought back until I was able to drive him from their dwelling – I assume that is when he came to you. I thought of helping her, but I was too ashamed."_

"_You left her."_

"_I am not proud of my actions." _The younger man's gaze fell to the boxes at the doctor's feet. _"Those supplies are for her?"_

"_Yes and I must return." _His tone had grown cold.

"_Azibo, please!" _The desperate call stalled the doctor in his retreat. _"I accept my banishment. I have caused this village pain and cost it a doctor-"_

"_Two. You know that they will not stay."_

Kapeni lowered his gaze to his feet. _"I know. I will leave immediately to spare them from confronting me, but please… please tell her that I am sorry."_

Azibo sighed, softened as he gazed at the man's distraught face. _"No, boy, I will not. If you wish to apologize, you will do so on your own. I will not send you away from the only place you can pay respect to your brother – I am not so cold. If you leave it is because you choose to do so."_

Kindness was not what he had been expecting from his companion. _"Why show me mercy?"_

"_Because I share part of the blame." _The guilt clouded Azibo's eyes as he fought against each word that spilled from his lips. _"I may not have held her down when she screamed for mercy, but I was foolish enough to let your father back into this village long enough to have the opportunity. He is meant to be only a delivery boy to our people now and I let my compassion blind me in one regretful moment. I failed to learn from his violent acts years ago and now a dear friend has suffered for my naïveté."_

"_You banished him for strangling my mother and yet you let me roam free after what I have done?" _He could hardly make sense of what he was hearing. Surely there would be retribution. Surely he would punished.

"_I have faith you can change, Kapeni. You stopped his acts of cruelty. That does not forgive your role in this, but I sense you will punish yourself more than I ever could."_

There were no words left to speak. No apology would be accepted and no amount of warmth could melt the ice that had formed between them. They were at a stalemate – one sought a lashing to relieve him of his guilt and the other would not yield. Sensing that he had made his point clear, Azibo turned to make his way back to his injured friend. He had only gone a few steps when something urged him to slow his retreat and send one last thought to the lost soul behind him.

"_You are not him. Your guilt separates you from his actions, so never lose sight of that. There is still hope for you, Kapeni, though there never will be for my brother."_

* * *

Sorry I left you guys hanging last time! I tried getting this written sooner, but life got in the way. This chapter was a monster! I definitely didn't mean for it to be so long and since I still didn't get to where I thought I was going to by the end, I've decided to add another chapter to the story - there will be 11 in total. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter - your reactions to the ending are what motivated me to find the time to write this new installment. I hope you enjoyed it!


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